Updates and break time

Hello! Thank you to everyone that has stuck around for the last 200 posts! Doesn't matter where you joined us at, I'm happy you are here!

For the last week, I have been feeling achy, sleepy, and just all around not quite myself. Then, Friday night, I was sick. Fever, upset stomach, hungry but nauseous... I'll spare you on the details... lets just say it was bad. I couldn't sleep, so I was sitting on the living room chair feeling sorry for myself. I decided I should wake husband. Not sure why, other than I wanted his company. However I couldn't get out of the chair. I hurt all over and didn't want to move. So I called him. HEHE! Yeah. It sounds ridiculous. I picked up my cell and called his. He woke right up and kindly waited on my every need.

Once I feel asleep, I was out. I slept most of the weekend! Monday morning I felt better, though my stomach still wasn't agreeing with me. I was kinda thinking it was a stomach ulcer. I have had them before and was feeling similar symptoms, however of course can't know for sure.

I decided to be a trooper and go forward with my afternoon interview. The interview was a 1.5 hour drive (yeah, okay position, long drive), but I gave myself 3 hours to get there. Good thing I didn't need a bathroom break when I got there, as I came upon a 2 semi truck accident and was stuck in traffic. I made it in time for the interview, with only 10 minutes to spare!

The interview went okay. It isn't the number 1 position I have been hoping for, but it is a great opportunity. After driving home from the interview, I slept, nearly 3 hours. I was out!

Today, I slept in again. I'm feeling better and better, however am still being cautious as my stomach still doesn't agree with me. However I'm eating in small portions. Toast, grilled cheese and apple sause have become my new best friends. Additionally, I haven't had an Mt. Dew for a few days. I know it would make an ulcer worse. I'm trying to avoid anything that would do that!

ANYHOW. I have another interview tomorrow! I'm really excited for this position! It is in the office I want to work in, working with the group of students I enjoy working with! I'm nervous as I haven't done much prep work for the interview, and I know at least one other person that is interviewing for the job. However I'm hopeful. I really want this one!

On that note, I'm going to be taking it easy the next week or so from blogging. Ha! I have been a little sporadic in my postings lately anyhow. :-) I need to take care of myself, make sure whatever I have, I get rid of. I also need to work on this getting a job thing!

I will post now and then, and I'll continue to attempt in keeping up with reading blogs, however I just feel the need be okay with my not posting every day or so. I'm not sure how long this partial break will last, however I'm thinking a week, or 2. However when I am back I hope to be back to me regular posting self!


Thanks for understanding!

200!

Post # 200!

WOW!

This one kind of snuck up on me!

Who knew I had so much to say!

Scrap space update!

Remember this post from last week? I had just purchased a couple new items however wasn't allowing myself to use them due to the state of my scrap space.

Here are the Before photos:





YIKES!!!


By Friday, this is what my space looked like!






SO much better!


The first item I had purchased with my 40% off coupon was this:




The Crop a dial Big Bite! I have been wanting one of these since they came out several months ago and figured having a 40% off coupon it was a great time to buy! With the 2nd coupon my husband found, we got this:



Wooden Desktop Carousel by Making Memories. I admit, I used this before the desk was clean. However I believe it helped significantly in getting my space clean!

Wacky Web Wednesday # 22

Menu Plan Monday 8-18-2008

Last week, we tried a couple new recipes!

The Zesty Chicken BBQ - Crock Pot was good. I didn't have Italian dressing, so I substituted in lemon pepper. The sauce ended up being not a thick as I would have liked, but it was good! The Crock Pot Fettucini Alfredo was amazing too! I admit, I went with chicken breast instead of chicken thighs, trying to use what we have. Then, the Cheesy Chicken Parmesan was delicious. I'll be keeping all three for future use! I also made Oreo Bon Bons last week! Yummy! Click over for the recipe and photo directions!
Here is the plan for this week...


Monday - - Leftovers
Tuesday - - Slow Cooker Enchilada (originally from Motherhood for Dummies)

Slow Cooker Enchiladas

1 lbs. lean ground beef

10 (6 inch) corn tortillas, quartered
1 (1.5 ounce) taco seasoning mix

1 1/4 cups water
1 (12 ounce) jar chunky salsa
1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of mushroom soup
1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of chicken soup
4 cups shredded Mexican cheese blend

1. Cook beef, then add taco seasoning and water

2. Stir together salsa, cream of mushroom soup & cream of chicken soup. Mix in most of the cheese, reserving some for top.

3. Place a layer of tortillas on the bottom of a slow cooker. Scoop a layer of the ground beef over that, and then a layer of cheese/soup mixture. Repeat the layers until you run out of stuff, ending with a layer of tortillas on the top. Top with remaining cheese.

4. Cover and cook for 45 mins - 1 hour.

Wednesday - - Brats, mac and cheese
Thursday - - Tater Tot Casserole
Friday - - Leftovers
Saturday - - Chicken and Potatoes
Sunday - - Pancakes and sausage



Visit I'm an Organizing Junkie to participate or for more menus and recipes!

Let's be honest...

Where did everyone go?

Feedburner reported that

Tuesday I had 31 subscribers...

Wednesday I had 29 subscribers...

and today I found that as of Thursday I have 19 subscribers!

I realize not everyone goes through feedburner.

And if you are reading this

you obviously are not one of the many that left.

Now sure. I blog for me.

However I enjoy that you all stop by

and leave nice comments...

But, let's be honest.

What is going on?

From my Friend...

My friend K sent me this message and photos a few days ago. I just had to share!



"My mom discovered that a caterpillar had made a chrysalis and attached it to one of her flower pots. The first picture is from last Sunday and the second picture is from yesterday when the butterfly came out!" ~K




Isn't is just amazing?! And beautiful!?

Thank you K for letting me share these with everyone!

Abslute delight

Are you looking for a delicious, simple, low cal snack for those hot summer days? Well, sorry. You are not going to find low cal here! The rest I can handle! HEHE. Feast your eyes and tummy on these

Oreo Bon Bons!

My husband's work group just finished a big project, and I wanted to send something with him to celebrate. I was looking for something kind of simple, definitely sweet snacks, as well as something cool. Additionally, I wanted something I could keep a few of for this weekend, as we are having a few guests over, and anything to double duty is great!

So yes, Here is what I decided on... Yeah, yeah, I hear ya, enough with the back story :-)

You will need:

1 package Oreos
1 package cream cheese, softened
1 package white almond bark (I use only about 2 squares pack package of Oreos)
I always deviate from a recipe, so I'll walk through what I did, and then have the original at the end. You can choose what works for you!
First, use food processor to grind one package of Oreos. Yes, I did 2 batches, one plain oreo and one mint! I set aside a little (maybe 1/8 cup) of the original Oreo crumbs.





Next, add 1 package of cream cheese and blend.




Now, roll dough into small balls and place on cookie sheet.



Place cookie sheet and Oreo balls in freezer. I didn't time anything, as I walked away for awhile and came back. If I had to guess, it was about long enough to check my email, blog and twitter... :-)

However, while Oreo balls are chillin, it is helpful to start melting the almond bark!




Once almond bark is melted (and you have check all emails, blogs and Twitter), take Oreo balls out of the freezer. For the Mint Oreo balls, I dabbed a bit of almond bark on top, and gave them a sprinkle of green.





The regular Oreo balls, I just splattered almond bark on top!




Then I used the Oreo crumbs I had saved (pre-cream cheese) over the top!



Now, the finished product! I have found they actually taste the very best slightly chilled! YUMMY!



Now, I LOVE the mint ones, however I accidentally picked up mint double stuff. Sure, double stuff might seem like a terrific accident, however it made the Oreo balls gooey and sticky. I suggest keeping the double stuff ones to eat as is, and use the regular stuff mint for the bon bons!
----

Oreo Bon Bons
Ingredients:

1 package Oreos
1 package cream cheese, softened
1 package white almond bark

Put oreos into food processor and chop until ground. Add softened cream cheese. Blend Place mixture into a bowl and refrigerate for 15 minutes. Cover cookie sheet with wax paper. Take mixture out of fridge. Roll mixture into small balls. Place on cookie sheet and put in freezer for 1-2 hours. Melt almond bark. Take mixture out of the freezer and roll the bon bons into the almond bark. Return bon bons to cookie sheet and refrigerate for 10 minutes.

Enjoy!

Wacky Web Wednesday # 21

Found over at Adventures in Randomness

What crazy things have you found on the internet? I'm always looking for a good mid-week laugh!

Menu Plan Monday 8-11-08

Monday - - Brats and Pasta Salad

Tuesday - - Zesty Chicken BBQ - Crock Pot that I found over at Motherhood for Dummies. It looks amazing and I'm always up for a new crock pot dish!

• 6 Frozen skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
• 1 (18 ounces at least) bottle of BBQ sauce
• 1/2 cup fat-free Italian dressing (can use Zesty Italian also)
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 2 TBS lemons juice
• You also add what ever veggies you want (olives, onions, mushrooms, chives. I like to just throw in what extra veggies I have)

1. Place chicken in the crock pot. In a bowl mix the BBQ sauce, Italian dressing, brown sugar, and veggies all together. Pour over chicken

2. Cover and cook 3-4 hours on High or 6-8 hours on Low.

Wednesday - - Leftovers and salad

Thursday - - Crock Pot Fettucini Alfredo found at John Deere Mom! Yeah! Another crock pot recipe! This is a great week!

• 1.5-2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs
• 1 jar alfredo sauce
• 1 package refrigerated fettuccine
• 1 red pepper
• 1 large onion
• 2 cloves garlic
• 2 cups thawed broccoli florets
• 1/4 C grated Parmesan cheese.

For complete instructions and photos, visit John Deere Mom!

Friday - - Cheesy Chicken Parmesan. I found this on a spaghetti sauce container awhile back and have been wanting to try it out!

• 1 beaten egg
• 3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 26 oz spaghetti sauce
• 6 slices mozzarella cheese
• optional chopped parsley

Place egg and parmesan cheese in separate shallow bowls. Dip each chicken breast fillet in egg, then cheese, coating well. Heat oil in large skillet over med-high heat. Cook chicken for about 5 minutes on each side or until no longer pink and cheese coating is golden brown. Remove from skillet; set aside. Wipe remaining oil from skillet.

Pour sauce into skillet. Arrange chicken in sauce. Spoon some sauce over each piece of chicken and top each with a slice of cheese. Heat, covered, over mid heat about 5 minutes, or until sauce is heated through and cheese is melted. Garnish with parsley, if desired.

Saturday - - Scrapbook Marathon... Having friends over to scrapbook... so whenever I feel like eating, I'll find something :-)

Sunday - - Breakfast (pancakes, sausage, toast)

Visit I'm an Organizing Junkie to participate or for more menus and recipes!

My weekend treasures

Husband and I went out and did all of our grocery shopping yesterday and today. It took stopping a few different stores, depending on the sale and coupons, thus taking way longer than we expected. We also really weren't in any hurry. We took our time, enjoying our time out, also making stops at the Post Office, Target, Walmart (yes, I know, I try to avoid Walmart), Archivers and Michaels.

On Friday, I received a 40% off any one item and a 25% off entire purchase at Michael's. With the expiration date Saturday, I decided to splurge and purchase something I have been wanting for some time!

Here is a sneak peak...




On the way to Michael's, Husband found a 40% off coupon that someone has tossed! We latched onto it, however I didn't have anything in mind! Geez! An extra coupon! I was splurging with the first one! I usually use these for adhesive. I go through a lot of it and even though it is a smaller cost, it adds up fast. However husband insisted I treat myself, and use both coupons for 2 larger items (he offering to go through the line as well for the 2nd coupon).

Here is peak at the 2nd item I picked out:




However....

I have not played with my new finds.

THIS is what my scrap space looks like right now:




AND





YIKES!!!

And I'm even sensoring the floor and shelving around the scrap table! See I haven't really scrapbooked all summer. I have made a few random cards and such, and just left things in a pile, mid project.

Thus, I am not going to use my new toys until my space is cleared, cleaned, and organized. It is sad, however it really needs done.

In the meantime, can you guess what I bought? No prize, just bragging rights :-)

EWWWW!

Have I mentioned that I really am creeped out by bugs? I itch just thinking about them.

Bloggy Awards!

Some time ago, Michie, over at Seeking Imperfection gave me this award!



Today I'm passing this award along to
Motherhood for Dummies
Musings of a Housewife
Simply A Musing Blog
A Daisy A Day

Thank you for spreading the love!

---

I was also kindly awarded this from Latree over at Dandelion!



She is So sweet!

Five Blogs that make my day are:
Candy Hearts and Paper Flowers
Life is a Marathon...
John Deere Mom
Adventures in Randomness
Play More, Laugh More, Live More

Thank you for always making me smile!

Thanks for stopping by! Have a great weekend!

Friday Fill In #84

Friday Fill-Ins #84

1. You know you're old when you remember your mom turning the age you are turning and the kids you used to babysit are having kids (at least for me... I'm experiencing both of these...)

2. My heart is divided between working and staying at home.

3. However, a job is what I need RIGHT NOW!

4. I have felt the joy of not working for the summer, however I have known the depths of frustration when finding a job I really want and love and then not getting it!

5. Gah, won't these people hire me already!

6. Relax and enjoy as soon as you can!

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I’m looking forward to "finishing" cleaning out my mini pantry, tomorrow my plans include hanging out with Husband and Sunday, I want to completely relax!

It seems I have finding a job on the brain! :- )

If you haven't already, answer my question of the day here... What is your dream job?

If you could be anything...

My job searching has gotten me thinking about finding my passion in life, what I'm really supposed to be doing, and what job will truly make me happy.

Thus, I'm now asking you...

What is your dream job?
...common now... I'm asking you :) This is your chance to dream big!

Tuesday Updates!

Wow! My life has been crazy lately. Here is a bit of what is going on!

• I am in the process of applying to another position. It would be a super position... keeping my fingers crossed!
  
• Our apartment lease was going to be up in October. We had been planning to move out at this time, as we had figured I would have a job, or be starting one soon, and we would be able to have a new place...With this not being the case, we signed on for an additional six months. I'm sad. I really wanted a house, however I know it will come. What is six more month?
• If you were following my Twitter last week, you most likely noticed my conference planning is in full force! It is crazy and I'm overwhelmed. It is a great experience to be involved, but I'll be happy when it is over!
• I went to Office Max yesterday to pick up a couple new dry erase markers. I have been saving my ink cartridges per my discovery, and thought this was the perfect time to use them. I went to Office Max only because of the $3.00 off. Well. in order to redeem the $3. off purchase in exchange for each ink cartridge, they now require one to sign up for their 'rewards' program which now and then sends out a newsletter, in which may have a coupon for one to use with recycling ink cartridges, allowing the $3.00 off. I ended up going to Target for the markers. I need another rewards card like I need more clutter. Ugh. Now I'm torn and frustrated. I still would like to recycle the cartridges. However whether Office Max gives me a discount on my purchase or not, I wonder if they are getting money for recycling them ? (wow...did that make sense? I re-read it, and it almost made my head explode) :-)
  
• Today, I'm in the process of cleaning out our mini pantry. It seems though we have several food items, very few of the items go together to make a meal. Thus, I'm reorganizing and writing a grocery list to compliment what we already have!

Have a great day!

And the Winner is...

AMI! From Writing: My Life.

My random number generator (aka: Husband) choose this comment out of the hat:

Ami said...

OK, this is going to sound strange, but I think the thing that keeps me coming back to your site is that I know you're in transition right now, and I love transitions. I can't wait to see how things change for you and how you find a new and exciting path for yourself. I am a writer, after all, and I love experiencing other people's stories. (Your pictures are great, too.) :)

July 31, 2008 7:29 AM

Thank you to everyone that stopped by, commented and explored around my blog!

Photo of the Month

Wine on the Keyboard is hosting a "July Photo of the Month". There are some great photo entries as well as blogs to check out! Click on over and vote for your favorite and feel free to explore!