I've Waited 8 Months for This Day....

Since becoming a momma, I'm trying to also be more "domestic." Actually, if you've noticed, for the last year or so, I've been more motivated to cook. I'm calling it "nesting." You call it whatever you want. :) But Honky Tonk Hubby, is enjoying it. I've been cooking and baking so much lately!

Months ago, I found Made It. Ate It. Loved It. And I LOVE it! One of the recipes I really wanted to try, was this bread. But I was pregnant, and didn't want to eat. Was sicker than I'd like to remember. But I printed it out. And knew, in a few short months, it would be cool enough to bake again. You know, not triple digits!

8 months later, I'm baking bread! I know!! I shocked myself. :) But this recipe seemed easy enough! I just had to try it. And my house, smells AMAZING right now!! Mouth watering, OMG-ing, I can't wait until the bread is baked....GOODNESS!!

I'm telling you, if I can do it, so can you! It's not that bad. And what is better than fresh bread and butter? When it's cool outside. And there's stew making in the crock pot. I can't wait for dinner! If you don't hear from me in days, I'm in a bread coma! ~Chels

Making Some Crafty Memories :)

I have a secret to tell you. And you can't tell anyone! But my hubs and I, did a little crafting last night. It was such a HOT night. And I was looking through this folder of projects, that I want to get done, before our daughter is here. Let me tell you, it's HUGE!! With just over a month, I'm not sure everything is going to get done.

But we're not going to focus on that! What we're going to talk about is this. I was looking for something to work on. It's been so HOT outside. But we decided to turn on the sprinklers. Water the grass, and just enjoy the evening. Outside. As much as we could.

Well, hubs shocked me!! He brought out this bag of mine. It's been sitting in the garage for almost a month! With the supplies to make these bracelets. Yes, I said a month!! But you see, I wanted to ask my doctor, if I could use spray paint while pregnant. She told me, that she'd prefer me not to. But that I could work with these pens, outside. ONLY outside!!

That wasn't very good news for me. There are a few projects that I want to work on. But I need to use spray paint. So I've just been putting them off. I don't want to bother my hubs with painting bracelets, flower pots, letters, that weird looking bookshelf, etc. To my surprise, he actually wants to do all these things. Without me asking him!!

My hubs went to the side of the house, and painted a bunch of bracelets for me. A BUNCH!! I might have gone overboard buying them. But I found them on sale....for 25 cents a piece!! :) When they were dry, he brought them to me. Where our dogs and I, were enjoying the relaxing evening. They were eating some treats. I was having some fruit, and reading a magazine.

Hubs and I, spent the next 2 hours, writing on my bracelets. Well, I wrote on them. My hubs drew some fun pictures. When we went inside, hubs stayed in the garage for a few more minutes. Sealing the bracelets. I don't know the name of the stuff he used. But it's clear.

That's what my hubs and I did last night! And it was such a nice evening. Whenever I look at my precious bracelets, I'll remember this night. The wonderful memories that we made. And just how precious my husband is. Because who else can say, they spent the night making bracelets with their husband? And really enjoying it. I have to be the luckiest woman on earth. Because he LOVES me, with all HIS HEART!! Luv you too Suga' Boots!! ~Chels

Taco Tuesdays in a Crock Pot!!

I can't lie. Around here, "Taco Tuesdays" are a MUST!! I tell you, don't mess with our Tuesdays. When my hubby and I first met, we were poor college kids. Man, money was so incredibly tight! Most of the time, we'd hangout at the 4H house. Because everyone would just bring a few things, and we'd cook up a meal.

But on Tuesdays, it was "Taco Tuesday." We'd sometimes splurge, and go to our favorite Mexican restaurant. But most of the time, we'd go to Taco Bell. Get us a few cheapo tacos, and sit and talk. Some days, we'd head to the local park. Other times, we'd head to one of our houses, and catch up on our favorite shows. And when one of us was pulling an "All Nighter" at the library, the other would bring dinner. :)

When we got married and moved in together, not much changed. Other than, it's been a heck of a long time, since we went to Taco Bell! Now hubby has a better job. But we're still a 1 income family. Cooking is not just something I should do....it's almost necessity. To cut down on costs. And I'm totally cool with that. It's my way, to provide for my hubby. Since he works so darn hard!

I've been pretty good. We still eat our tacos every Tuesday. It's that one thing, that makes both my hubs and I, very happy!! Almost 90% of the time, we have ground beef tacos. I'm just not too skilled in cooking. Once in a while, we'll have leftover roast. I'll shred it, and cook it up with onions, peppers, and jalapenos. And if I'm being really lazy, I'll pick up a rotisserie chicken. I shred it up. And those tacos, usually get more "fancy" toppings than the rest. :)

But I feel like I'm in a rut! I want to keep our "Taco Tuesdays" going. But I wanted something a little different. And honestly, I haven't been wanting to cook much. I know I say this a lot, but it is so HOT here!! Living in the desert, sorta sucks the life out of you at times.

Well, you know what? Good friends are awesome! And not long ago, Rach blogged about this blog. She was working on a craft, for her boys. And had tried out some recipes. I thought, that this recipe sounded good. And super easy! Heck, Rach has 3 kids. Under 3!! And Mike is away, fighting that fire. If she can make these, so can I!

Life changing folks! So good!! I almost NEVER use my crock pot. I just don't know what to cook in there. And it takes up so much space. That it spends 98% of the time, tucked away under our kitchen sink. I know. Weird huh? But my hubs refuses to put cleaning supplies under there. Like most people. We've never had anything under there, except all the appliances, that we rarely use.

Thanks Rach! For sharing this blog with me. And helping me find this recipe. Something tells me, these are going to be regulars in our meals. They're easy, cheap, and so tasty! Heck ya! Things that we have on hand, all the time, chicken breasts and salsa. This is what we ate on Tuesday night. With fresh corn tortillas.You have to LOVE the local Mexican bakeries. :) Try this out! You won't regret it. Plus, clean up was super easy!! That's always a bonus in my book. ~Chels

I Surprised Him!!

My hubby totally surprised me for Mother's Day. I wasn't expecting anything. For real!! Because I'm pregnant. I know that I feel like a momma. But I'm not really a momma yet. Anyway, my hubs totally surprised me. And completely spoiled me on Mother's Day. I knew immediately, that I wanted to do the same for my love. :)

Weeks ago, I started thinking of what I could do. And I started planning. Ultimately, we went on a long drive to the mountains. Were I surprised my hubby with a new fishing pole, and a new tackle box. Jammed with all kinds of fishing stuff. We spent the day in the mountains. He fished. I enjoyed the quiet time. It's so great to connect with nature. Oh, and I cooked us up a big 'ol picnic lunch! We did end up, stopping at the cutest steakhouse, in the mountains. For dinner, on the way home!

But I know I surprised my hubby. First, that I was able to plan, and pull off the entire day! Second, because I cooked. And it was darn good. Most of what I made, were my hubby's favorite foods. I called my MIL weeks ago, and begged her to help me. Which wasn't a tough thing to do. She was happy to help!! :)

The one thing that I totally did on my own, was I made these ginormous cinnamon buns. For breakfast! I'd seen this recipe, months ago. And I'd been wanting to try it. But to me, it seemed like a "fancy recipe." Something you make on a "Special Day."

I'm pretty sure, that my hubby wondered why I crawled out of bed...at midnight. But I whispered to him, that I was having trouble sleeping. Lately, that has been true. It's just hard for me to sleep now. I'm guessing that it's due to my expanding baby belly. But I told him to go back to bed. I quickly made my way to the kitchen. And started these sweet treats. Knowing that they needed some time, to "do their thang!"

Then I went back to bed. On Friday, I'd prepped all the other food. Things were good to go. And I got up, extra early, on Sunday morning. I put the cinnamon rolls into the oven. With our main course. And headed back to bed. My hubby actually slept through all of this. I was shocked! After 15 minutes, I got out of bed. Pulled out our yummy goodness!! And grabbed my hubby's card.

He was shocked! I'm not sure if he was more shocked that I was celebrating him on Father's Day. Or that I had baked a batch of these sweets. And they were so good! I swear to you, 1 roll, was bigger than my hand!! OMG!!

After our sugary breakfast, we got ready for the day. Headed out to church. Then hit the road. It was a really WONDERFUL day! And I hope that we can turn this into a family tradition. Next year, having our baby girl with us! And these little guys, are going to be a regular for all our "Special Mornings!" ~Chels

Made Me Smile!!

What a cute picture! What a cute little girl! Oh, it makes my heart burst with love! I just can't wait, to have my own daughter, in my arms. I can't wait to do things like this, with my little girl. :)

I was having a bit of a bad day. But when I logged onto Pinterest, and saw this picture, I just had to smile! And my little girl, decided to give her momma a little "here I am" movement. That reminded me, what is really important. ~Chels

Thin Mint Heaven!!

Every year, I count something down. Something that you won't expect. Girl Scout cookie time! And let me tell you, it's tough to find those little guys. Around here anyway! We must not have a troop around here. I'm not sure. But without fail, my hubby brings home 10 boxes. Every year. Bless my Lova'!!

Right now, those sweet delight, are long gone. I'm a little ashamed to admit, that hubs only got 3 cookies. 3 cookies people!! I ate the rest. Me and baby girl. :) And they were darn good! But I got real sad, when I found this recipe last night. Oh. My. Goodness! What am I going to do now??

Well, nothing gets by the man I love. We're completely out of thin mints. Hubs took to hunting out something similar today. Didn't even know he was going to the grocery store. I would have asked him to pick up some ice cream. And maybe some bagels with cream cheese. :) Can you tell what I'm craving?

Hubs did find a yummy cookie. I think they're made by Keebler. I'm not even positive. And a little too lazy to go look right now. But as we speak, I've got a batch of these in the oven. And our home smells AMAZING!! I can't wait to try them out.

On a side note, hubs bought 3 packages of those cookies. And I've already eaten 6 cookies! It's bad. And the Andres mint chips....from the baking aisle....are so good! Darn Lola!! You got me hooked on eating them, with vanilla ice cream. And by themselves. :) Can you tell that I like chocolate and mint? ~Chels

Our Easter Treats :)

How was your Easter? Ours was nice. Actually, it was just what we needed!! It was totally "low key." My hubby and I went to church. And then had a fun afternoon with friends. It was so nice to see Lola again! Glad she came out for a few days.

And because Lola and her man hosted Easter, no one had to worry about cooking. Lola is the best cook I know! Sorry to my momma and MIL, but it's the truth! I still wanted to make a little something. So I took to my new favorite blog. And made a triple batch of these sweet treats!! Which were gobbled up in record time!! :)

Oh, yes. They were delicious!! Not only were these Rice Krispies treats delicious. But they were fun. Last week, while buying some groceries, I found some Easter Sprinkles. And that's what I used. So fun! The kids really enjoyed them. Most of all, we just enjoyed the good times, with our dear friends. When you live so far away from family, good friends are so important! Not only did God give us his son. But he's blessed us, with some AMAZING friends! ~Chels

What the Peep??

O-M-G!! I saw this picture on Pinterest, and it made my heart just stop! Peeps and smores? It can't get any better!!

Oh yes it can! We made a quick stop at Albertsons on the way home from church. Bought our supplies. And recreated this happy little treat. Thank you Pinterest!! You made our Thursday night, so much happier, than we could have ever planned! ~Chels

Life Changing...and Sweet and Sour Chicken!!

This is blog post, that we've all been waiting for. The one when I tell you, I'm really enjoying cooking. Oh, and I found a blog that will change your life! Because it's got the most AMAZING and DELICIOUS recipes around!! Go immediately here, and follow Made It. Ate It. Loved It.

Back to the post. Around here, we enjoy oriental food. Probably a little too much! But in this small town, there's not really a place to go. And you know, get good food. There is a place, on the college campus. But it's only open Monday-Friday, from August-May, from 11am-2pm. Not really making for the easiest place to dine. If you know what I mean....

Other than that, you can drive an hour away, end enjoy PF Changs. But for us, that's just not going to happen. It's like a once every 6 months, kind of thing. We do have a local place. But the only thing that is good, is the beef and broccoli. Oh, and the prices!! But we crave sweet and sour chicken, lo mein noodles, and good egg rolls.

When we dive up north, like once a year, we also eat at Panda Express. Like 5 times, in 2 days!! I know, we're crazy. But I so wish, that we had a Panda Express near us. The closest one, is 3 hours away! Can you see why, I need to learn how to cook? And why this blog, is making me so excited.

Well, not only have I found good egg rolls, at Costco! I can't remember the brand, but they're in the freezer section. Oh, and I've seen small packages at Wally World. But you pay less, if you buy the big box. Then I found this good lo mein recipe. I know! The stars were lining up. Lastly, I found this recipe for sweet and sour chicken!!

Can you tell what we're having for dinner? Um, hello! Look at this picture!! I just have to make this. I've already been to Albertsons twice. And it's not even lunchtime. Can I make it to dinner? Oh, the Honky Tonk Hubby is going to be so excited!! ~Chels

Just Lovely....

I don't know how I found Just Lovely Things. I don't know when I first saw these amazing headbands. But I do know, that I want one! Or 10!! However many, God wants me to have. Because they are just too gorgeous and fun!!

What do you think? Would you wear a headband like this? I especially adore these colors for Fall. Now that it's finally September, I'm dreaming of all the rich colors. If I wasn't unemployed, a recent college grad, and married....I would totally have spent the $20+ for one of these precious goodies! And I'd wear it every day!! ~Chels

This Weather!

We are now the proud owners of sod, 10 trees and 5 rose bushes. Ya, I got some rose bushes! Pink and white ones. :) They were a complete surprise from my hubby. The nursery delivered the trees and bushes yesterday. My hubby called to make sure I was home. And I was expecting sod and trees. Instead, they delivered rose bushes and trees. No sod. It will be delivered sometime next week. Something about the sod they had on hand was dying. So I'm glad they waited to deliver it.

Oh, and we were supposed to do a lot of planting today. That isn't happening. The weather is so bad today! So our rose bushes and trees are now in the garage. I hope they live. And we're hoping to plant everything next weekend. If the weather decides to agree with us. The sod should be delivered by then. At least we're hoping! ~Chels