101 in 1001

Another New Recipe!

2009-06-01T18:13:00.000-07:00

Garden Vegetable Chopped Salad

6 C chopped romaine lettuce
1 C chopped broccoli
1/2 C matchstick cut or shredded carrots
1/2 C light ranch dressing
1/2 C shredded cheddar cheese
3 slices center cut bacon, cooked, crumbled

Toss lettuce with broccoli, carrots, and dressing
Top with cheese and bacon

I did not use bacon in my recipe, but it was good none the less. Easy and great for summer! If you want to view a picture, go to www.kraftfoods.com and search for Garden Vegetable Chopped Salad! Have a great week!

#29 - Go To Hon, AR

2009-05-25T14:40:00.000-07:00

Today, Kelly and I went to Hon, AR. It is where his dad and family are from. We went specifically to the cemetery, mainly because there really isn't a town. The cemetery is full of really old graves...some from the 1800s. It was really neat. Here is a picture of the sign at the cemetery and of his grandparents headstone.

The 101 list is coming along...it seems like it goes in spurts... It will get completed though!

Have a Cookout with Family and Friends!

2009-05-24T18:38:00.000-07:00

Today we had a BBQ with Kelly's parents and sister and our good friends Kendal and Hali. We were going to have our cousin's Bill & Terri and their family, but they had to go out of town.

The menu consisted of hamburgers, brats, hot dogs, beans, potato salad, chips, brownies, and frozen cool whip pie! The food was great!!! Kendal & Hali's son Coston and Kim's daughter Alana had a good time talking back and forth with each other. It rained all day and that was quite relaxing. :) All in all, it was a pretty good day.

New Recipe!

2009-03-16T19:43:00.000-07:00

Supreme Pasta Salad

1 pkg (8 oz) rotini pasta
3 cups assorted vegetables, such as broccoli florets, sliced carrots, bell pepper strips, cherry tomato halves
1/2 cup red onion slices
1 cup Italian salad dressing
2 T Salad Supreme Seasoning

Cook pasta as directed on package. Rinse under cold water, drain well.
Place pasta and vegetables in a large salad bowl.
Add dressing and seasoning. Toss gently to coat.
Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. Toss before serving.

See picture at: http://www.mccormick.com/Recipes/Salads/Supreme-Pasta-Salad.aspx

I used broccoli florets, sliced carrots, and sliced tomatoes. It was very good!

More new recipes!

2009-02-04T19:32:00.000-08:00

Fettuccine Alfredo with Chicken

1/2 lb. fettuccine, uncooked
1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips
1-1/4 cups fat-free reduced-sodium chicken broth
4 tsp. flour
4 oz. (1/2 of 8-oz.) PHILADELPHIA Neufchatel Cheese, cubed
3 Tbsp. KRAFT Grated Parmesan Cheese, divided
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. pepper

COOK pasta as directed on package.

MEANWHILE, heat large nonstick skillet sprayed with cooking spray on medium-high heat. Add chicken; cook 5 to 7 min. or until chicken is done, stirring occasionally. Remove from skillet. Mix broth and flour in same skillet. Stir in Neufchatel cheese, 2 Tbsp. Parmesan, garlic powder and pepper; cook 2 min. or until mixture boils and thickens, stirring constantly with whisk. Stir in chicken.

DRAIN pasta; place in large bowl. Add chicken mixture; toss to coat. Sprinkle with remaining Parmesan.

Ranch Coleslaw

3 cups coleslaw mix
1/4 cup Mexicorn, drained
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped
2 T chopped red onion
1 T minced fresh cilantro
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup ranch salad dressing
1-1/2 t lime juice
1/2 t ground cumin

In a large bowl, combine the first six ingredients. In a small bowl, combine the salad dressing, lime juice, and cumin. Pour over the coleslaw and toss to coat. Refrigerate until serving.

Miss Charlotte

2009-01-23T18:52:00.000-08:00

So the other night, I was really cold and was having a hard time warming up. I took the heating pad out of the closet and plugged it in and let it begin to warm up. I had left it on the couch while I went into the kitchen to get something to drink and came back to a fuzzy thing laying on the heating pad. Apparently Miss Charlotte was cold too and wanted to warm up... Here a some pictures of her hogging the heating pad... :)

New Recipes!

2009-01-23T18:25:00.000-08:00

Black Bean Salsa

Here is a new recipe I tried out on our family last night. The picture isn't that pretty, but it was what was left over. Here goes...

1 can (15 oz) black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can (10 oz) rotel, drained
1/2 cup whole kernel corn, frozen or canned (I used canned, drained)
1/4 cup finely chopped red onion
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon lime juice
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
Tortilla chips, tacos, or burritos (optional)

Mix all ingredients together in a medium bowl.
Cover and refrigerate 30 minutes to allow flavors to blend.
Serve with tortilla chips, tacos, or burritos, if desired.

Makes 12 (1/4 cup) servings
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 34 minutes

We just ate it with chips and it was really good! Enjoy!

Here are two other recipes I have tried in the past and they turned out to be really good! You can find pictures at kraftfoods.com!

Strawberry Whipped Sensation

4 cups fresh strawberries, divided
1 can (14 oz) Eagle Brand sweetened condensed milk
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 tub (8 oz) Cool Whip whipped topping, thawed, divided
8 Oreo chocolate sandwich cookies (I used more than 8)
1 tablespoon butter, melted

1) Shape aluminum foil onto outside of a 8 x 4 inch loaf pan. Line inside of pan with shaped foil, with ends extending over the sides of the pan.

2) Mash 2 cups of the strawberries in a large bowl. Stir in condensed milk and juice.

3) Stir 2 cups of the whipped topping into strawberry mixture. Pour into the prepared pan.

4) Finely chop cookies. Combine cookies and butter. Spoon over whipped topping mixture in pan.
5) Cover cookie mixture with ends of foil and gently press cookie mixture into whipped topping mixture. Freeze 6 hours or until firm.

6) Invert dessert onto serving plate when ready to serve; remove pan and foil. Spread remaining whipped topping onto top and sides of dessert.

7) Slice remaining 2 cups strawberries; arrange on dessert. Store leftovers in freezer.

Makes 12 servings
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 6 hours 20 minutes (including freezing)

Easy Coconut Cream Pie

2 cups cold milk
2 pkg (4 serving size each) Jell-o Vanilla flavor instant pudding and pie filling
1 cup flake coconut, divided
2 cups thawed Cool Whip whipped topping, divided
1 graham pie crust (6 oz)

1) Pour milk into large bowl. Add dry pudding mixes and 3/4 cup of the coconut. Beat with wire whisk 2 minutes. Gently stir in 1 cup of the whipped topping. pour into crust.

2) Refrigerate 4 hours until set.

3) Spread pie with remaining 1 cup whipped topping. Toast remaining 1/4 cup coconut, if desired. Sprinkle over pie. Store leftover pie in refrigerator.

Makes 8 servings
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes

Hope you enjoy some of these recipes! Bon Appetit!

#56 - Buy Kelly Golf Clubs and Christmas!

2009-01-17T18:58:00.001-08:00

The only set of golf clubs that Kelly has had was the first set that his mother bought his father. Needless to say, that set was nearing 30+ years... So it was time for Kelly to get a new set of his own. Every time we went to Academy (a sporting goods store), he seemed to get lost in the golfing section. When Christmas rolled around, I thought that they would be the perfect gift! So we ventured to Fort Smith and he picked out the ones he wanted. He also got a golf towel and some new golf balls. Here are some pictures of him opening his gifts a few days before Christmas!

Here are a few other pictures of our Christmas tree and decorations!

#84 - MOVE!!!

2008-11-07T19:43:00.000-08:00

Well Kelly & I finally did it.... WE MOVED! And yes, we have been super busy since, so that is why I am just now getting to this. :)

We came to Poteau in late August because I had 2 job interviews. One was at First National Bank and the other was at Central National Bank. I was offered a credit analyst position at FNB and I took it. Now the search was on for a job for Kelly and a place to live. When Kelly called a physical therapy clinic about a job, they didn't have any openings, but did know of a house for rent. Bill & Terri were so nice to go look at this house for us. They sent pictures and it was awesome. Now we have a place to live. Kelly called Elite Therapy and they had an opening for a physical therapy tech. We fixed up his resume and he got that job! Now it was time to go crazy packing. This was a tedious job, but we got it done. Here are a few pictures of our house in Hays before we loaded it all up.

My folks came up to help us load and move. This was overly generous of them. Rebecca came over to help load our junk as well. :)

Here are some pictures of our caravan on the morning we left...

Doesn't everyone look so happy!!

We left Hays around 7:30 am and arrived in Poteau around 6 pm. Needless to say, it was a long day and I got bored about the time we hit Salina...

Here is a picture of a field of sunflowers. It made me think of Aubrey...She loves sunflowers!

And here is some water in Oklahoma, yes we have water here!
And here is what I looked at for a while... Pretty huh!?!?

Yeah!!!! Here is our turn!!! Almost there!!!!
Charlotte rode with Kelly and he said that she did such a good job. We had so much help unloading, so that went really fast.

The next few days, the house looked like a tornado went through it. Sorry I don't have any pictures of that. But here is what the finished product looks like. (Notice our beautiful red oak tree since the colors have been changing!)

Thanks everyone for all of your help!!!

I have to say that the only thing I really miss from Hays is our friends. I love living in the country and my new job is awesome. Kelly is really enjoying working inside again and doesn't miss the heat or cold! All in all, I think we are where God intended us to be! And that is all we can ask for!!!

Update!

2008-10-22T19:32:00.000-07:00

Well tomorrow would have been 2 months since I have posted, so I better get this done tonight while I still have time... :) I have been super busy...busy with life and not so much my 101. I have knocked off a few things since you heard from me last... Kelly and I knocked a big one off... WE MOVED!!! But lets get to the easy stuff first.

#74 - Go to Lunch with Aubrey
She was one of the greatest coworkers I have ever had and she is severely missed! We talked about this and that and everything in between. It was nice to have someone to talk to and just share you weekend or something that was going on in your life. Plus it was nice to have someone to talk to about work since Kelly gets sick of listening... :) I wanted to go to lunch with her before we moved, so we picked a day and went to Jalisco's! It was oh so yummy! As we did all of the time, we talked about the things that filled our lives. The only sad part was when it was all over and we had to go back to work... :( But such is life....

#78 - Update Kelly's Resume
Since I had found a job, we were on the lookout for a new one for Mr. Kelly. It was the perfect time to get his resume updated. It wasn't too hard since the information was there, it just needed to be rearranged. He approved when I was finished and we sent it off to a potential employer and guess what?!?! HE GOT THE JOB!!! It wasn't because of my resume skills, it was because he was qualified. :) He was happy about finding a job, but more on that later.... :)

#3 - Eat at Vernie's Hamburger House
My cousin Janie came up a couple of weekends before the big move and we took her out to lunch at Vernie's in Hays. I had heard good things about this place and Kelly & I really wanted to try it. We just got hamburgers and fries and I mean to tell you it was A-W-E-S-O-M-E!!! I have to admit, it was better than a Q burger... :) Kelly had a shake and he said it was really good too. If you are from Hays and you haven't tried this place, you really need to! I just wish we would have found it sooner... :(

#65 - Have RJ & Aubrey Over
Now this came on a Monday because someone was entirely too busy to do this on a weekend! Just kidding! :) So I worked with Aubrey for quite some time and we of course have significant others. Well we would speak of them and we finally decided that we all needed to get together. Kelly had met RJ before and they had participated in "small talk," but really hadn't sat down and visited. So Aubrey and I picked a night and they came over. We had chicken on the grill and it was delish! Aubs made this no calorie dessert with cool whip, oreos, peanut butter, and tons of other things... (and yes Rebecca, that comment was for you :)) The conversation was the best part of the night. We just talked about this and that and everything in between. All in all, it was a great night!

#73 - Pay for George and Linda's Meal

We were going to take these wonderful people out to dinner one night, but the fact that moving came way quicker than we had anticipated caused us to seek an alternative. George has stated that he likes eating at Thirsty's and one time when Linda took the gang out for lunch and poor George was at work, she told us not to speak a word of where we went to lunch. SO.... When Kelly & I thought getting them a gift card to go out and eat would be a good solution, we thought why not Thirsty's?!?! So we ended up cheating a little on this one, but we managed to pay for their meal... :) We miss you George & Linda!

#77 and #83 - Clean Out Our Shed and Clean Out the Closet
These were kinda give-me's on my list. I knew they would get done before moving day came, so I thought this was the opportune time to put them on the list. The closet got cleaned out pretty quickly after I found a job, but the shed waited until the very last weekend. It wasn't that it was jammed packed full of stuff, it was just creepy because of all of the bugs and cobwebs... But I got it done. Kelly helped me go through things, but I cleaned the shed all by myself! Don't let me fool you it was only a 8 X 10 foot shed... :)

#59 - Buy New Canisters 8-23-08

2008-08-30T19:06:00.000-07:00

This is not a major thing on my list; however, I have wanted new canisters for quite some time. While Kelly & I were out of town recently, we stopped off at Bed, Bath, and Beyond to pick out some canisters. If you have never been in BB&B, I suggest that you check it out. I could spend hours in there. Well it didn't take me long to find the ones that I wanted. We looked at them and contemplated which sizes we were going to purchase. We finally got them picked up and let me tell you...they are great! I don't know if one would call them canisters because they are technically storage containers. Oh well! They look great all filled up with my different baking products. Now I just need to get my labels made for them.... Maybe one of these days... :)

#20 - Get Baptized 8-20-08

2008-08-30T18:55:00.000-07:00

This is something I have contemplated pretty much all of my life. I had never been baptized because we switched churches and they performed this act at totally different ages. Well I became more involved in a local church here in Hays and the more I learned about the bible, God, and life in general, I knew that I had to complete this task. I began to study the word more diligently and I kept striving to learn. I eventually mustered up the courage to inform two of my church mates/good friends that I had not been baptized. This was rather embarrassing for me since it is something I should have done a long time ago. These two girls, and I must say they are awesome girls, took me in and told me what I needed to know about this wonderful event. I studied and finally I decided that it was time. I asked the preacher one night if I could be baptized after bible class. I expected it to just be a few people and then the preacher. Well everyone who came to class that night stayed to see me baptized. It is a more than wonderful feeling to know that I was cleansed of my sins and to know that God forgave me for the not so great things of my past. I feel like a new person and am more than ready to dedicate the rest of my life to my Lord and Savior. Without Him I wouldn't be here, so I can never be thankful enough for what He did for me several years ago.

God Bless Everyone Who Has Entered My Life.
You Have All Changed Me And I Thank Each And Every One Of You!

#35 - Play Putt-Putt at Precision Valley 8-16-08

2008-08-30T18:36:00.000-07:00

When my mom came a couple of weekends ago, she said that she wanted to do something fun. So Kelly said, "Let's go play putt-putt!" Precision Valley has one of the nicest putt-putt ranges that I have ever seen. It has pools of water and even a water fall. On one hole, you can try and shoot the ball up high on the right and allow it to float on down in a stream of water. Trust me it is cool! Here are some pictures of us getting our game on!

At the end, Kelly was making sure that mom added our points up correctly... I WON! Well no I was far from winning... :) Kelly came in first at 52, Mom in second at 53, and me in dead last at 67. Yea I'm not very good at putt-putt, but I had fun!

#85 - Give Blood 8-1-08

2008-08-12T16:10:00.001-07:00

As one can see, I have already marked this scary adventure off of my list. I will not lie, I am deathly afraid of needles.

The bank I work at sponsors a blood drive every 112 days, and I had just finished my list on Tuesday and the next blood drive was that Friday. I thought to myself, there is no time like the present to get started on this list and signed myself up. I don’t know if it was smart or stupid on my part, but I picked the 3:00 pm slot. I mainly did it that way so I would have enough time to drink water and get liquidated. The day drug on and on and coworker after coworker went downstairs to donate. As my time got closer, we talked about what happens when you give blood. They informed me that the worst part was getting your finger pricked to check for iron. I thought well if that is the worst part, then I should be okay.

Well 3:00 rolled around and I started down the stairs. Other coworkers were down there cheering donating coworkers on. I thought this is great…I have an audience…

I went through the “interview” process, where they collect all of your information. She informed me that she was getting ready to prick my finger and I would feel a little sting. I prepared myself and looked the other way. I felt the needle, but it did not hurt. I figured I was going to be fine…

I had to wait a while before I could donate since the nurse was busy with two patients already. My turn came and I hopped in the chair. She checked my veins and then got me ready for the needle. She said I would feel a little prick and then a sting. She slowly mentioned that there would be a burn, as she was sticking me with the needle. There was a burn alright! I thought I was going to jump out of the chair! I just kept my eye off of my arm the whole time blood was draining from my body and another coworker was there keeping me occupied. Well she got ready to go back to work and I reassured her that I was feeling fine. She non-the-less got out of the room and I started feeling lightheaded. The nurse tipped me back and said I was already done giving and that it all was psychological. I told her probably, but that black was closing around my eyes. Well I laid there and started to feel better. She sat me back up and I was fine for a while, then my stomach started to turn. So back I went again. After about another 5 or 10 minutes I was fine. I did not get any pictures of myself giving blood (thankfully), but I did take a picture of the awesome sticker I got for completing the task!

Overall it wasn’t a bad experience, and they say the first time is the hardest. I am very likely to do it again just because I know I have already saved someone else’s life and that is one of the greatest feelings of all! :)

The BIG List!

2008-08-11T19:47:00.000-07:00

My great friend Rebecca informed me about this amazing list that she created. It is a list of 101 things to do in 1001 days. I though I l-o-v-e lists and created one for myself... Here is my list. :)

Start Date: July 29, 2008
End Date: April 26, 2011

Food ~ Cooking
1. Make A Traeger Book Of Recipes
2. Eat At The Barn
3. Eat At Vernie’s Hamburger House - 9/13/08
4. Cook Fried Chicken
5. Make Homemade Gravy
6. Cook A Ham On The Traeger - 11/27/08
7. Try 30 New Recipes (30/30)
8. Cook A Prime Rib On The Traeger
9. Bake A Cake On The Grill
10. Make A Decorative Cake From Scratch
11. Eat At Ruby Tuesday’s While In Hot Springs, AR
12. Eat At Red Robin
13. Finish Filing My Spice Rack (13/23)
14. Get Ice Cream With Kelly On A Sunday Afternoon - 2/21/10
15. Eat A Funnel Cake
16. Drink A Bahama Mama - 5/14/09
17. Eat At TGI Friday’s

Faith
18. Read The WHOLE Bible
19. Finish Reading The Purpose Driven
20. Get Baptized – 8/20/08
21. Buy A Concordance To Go With My Bible
22. Pray At Least 30 Minutes Per Day
23. Start Going To Class On Sundays

Travel
24. Go On A Trip With My Mom
25. Take A Vacation With Kelly To Somewhere New
26. Visit Sugar Loaf Mountain
27. Go To The Gulf Of Mexico
28. Visit Cavanal Hill
29. Go To Hon, AR - 5/25/09
30. Visit Hot Springs, AR
31. Visit Louisiana
32. Go To Turner Falls

Recreation ~ Entertainment
33. Go To Poteau’s Balloon Festival - 10/25/08
34. Go Golfing With Kelly
35. Play Putt-Putt At Precision Valley – 8/16/08
36. Go Swimming
37. Go Bowling
38. Go To The Movies
39. Go To Driving Range With Kelly - 8/9/09
40. Ride A Roller Coaster
41. Go To An Amusement Park
42. Go Fishing With Kelly
43. Watch Fireworks On The Fourth Of July - 7/4/09
44. Take A Hike At Lake Wister State Park
45. Do Some Type Of Exercise Every Week (25/143)
46. Play In The Rain
47. Actually Catch A Fish
48. Go To A Petting Zoo
49. Collect Seashells By The Seashore
50. Go To A Drive In Movie At Poteau
51. Be Able To Jog A Half A Mile Without Stopping
52. Be Able To Jog A Mile Without Stopping
53. Watch All Three Lord Of The Rings (1/3)
54. Watch Simple Truths
55. Watch All Pirates Of The Caribbean Movies (3/3)

Finances
56. Buy Kelly Golf Clubs - 12/25/08
57. Clip More Coupons
58. Save For Kelly’s Schooling
59. Buy New Canisters – 8/23/08
60. Add Money To The Savings Account Every Month (27/33)
61. Buy A Multiple Plant Stand
62. Buy Another Board Game - 12/13/09
63. Buy A Flat Iron
64. Buy A Bread Machine

Family ~ Friends
65. Have RJ & Aubrey Over - 9/15/08
66. Meet Up With The Gang
67. Have Family Pictures Taken With My Parents
68. Have Carolyn & Archie over for supper one night
69. Have A Cook Out With Friends And Family - 5/24/09
70. See Linkon Before He Turns Three - 12/24/09
71. Give Charlotte A Bath At Least Every Three Months (5/11)
72. Find Charlotte A New Vet When We Move - 10/16/10
73. Pay For George & Linda’s Meal
74. Go To Lunch With Aubrey – 9/3/08
75. Brush Charlotte At Least Once A Week (118/143)

Cleaning ~ Organization
76. Finish Our Wedding Book
77. Clean Out Our Shed - 9/20/08
78. Update Kelly’s Resume – 9/3/08
79. Go Through Our CDs
80. Recycle Aluminum Cans
81. Clean My Car Once A Month (16/33)
82. Redo Our Password File - 12/20/08
83. Clean Out My Closet

Miscellaneous Assorted Items
84. MOVE!!! - 9/25/08
85. Give Blood – 8/1/08
86. Go To The Dentist – 7/29/08
87. Volunteer
88. Take Pictures Of Fort Hays State University
89. Grow My Hair Out
90. Lose 10 Pounds
91. Drive A Cadillac
92. Don’t Drink Soda Pop For A Entire Week
93. Do Something Exciting On Our 5th Anniversary
94. Have A Candle Light Dinner With Kelly
95. Buy Myself Flowers
96. Send Out “We’ve Moved” Postcards - 9/24/08
97. Send Mom A Just Because Card
98. Get A Pedicure - 5/8/10
99. Go One Week Without Getting Angry With Kelly
100. Donate Canned Food - 5/11/09
101. Get Up When The Alarm Goes Off The First Time

In Progress!
Complete!