I can not believe I forgot to write about this! After Cory and I bought the house, we made several trips to Wal-Mart for various objects needed for one thing or another.
At one of our visits, we picked up soil and other yard tools, but that is not important at all. ANYWAY as we were leaving, a lady drove up, I wasn't paying any attention to her at all, but Cory said "Is that a monkey in the front seat?" I looked over and there was a monkey jumping up and down in her front seat of the car. I suddenly became very giddy. Holding a monkey is on my bucket list, and I met that goal at Wal-Mart. The little monkey was so cute with it's little diaper on. It shook my hand, and scratched me. (I still have the marks!) Apparently, you do not have to have a license to own a monkey in Oklahoma. But before I could make any plans of actually owning a cute little monkey, Cory dashed all my hopes by saying "Don't even thinking about it."
There, I have topped any Wal-Mart story out there. If you think you can compete with this, go ahead and try. :)
I wrote this post around midnight (way past my bedtime), so I don't know how fluent it is..... but anyway, stay tuned, and remember God loves you!
Friday, August 2, 2013
Saturday, July 27, 2013
Garden, laundry, home, and more.
It has taken me a while to update because for some reason, BlogSpot would not let me manage my blog. I could see it, but that was it. I don't know what I did, but I was finally able to get it working again. So.... my life.
Our garden is quite prosperous. We have had so many green beans since they have started blooming. They have started to slow down a bit, but we are still getting quite a few. Our Cucumbers took over the entire garden. Didn't see that one coming. We are getting so many cucumbers though. We picked 14 in just one day, it's a good thing we love cucumbers. Though we have different preferences on how to eat them. I like them plain, just cut them up and I will eat them like chips. Cory likes to soak them in Italian dressing over night and eat them that way, which I like, but the Italian dressing overpowers the cucumber. We have not been getting a lot of squash lately. At first we couldn't eat them fast enough, but we haven't had a squash in several days, which is sad. Our peas died. I planted them too late, so they never had a fighting chance anyway. Our okra are finally coming in, and I have had my first serving of slimy okra. Delightful! Once you get past the fact that it looks like someone blew their nose on them, they taste very yummy. Next year I will definitely do things a little differently with the layout of the garden.
We haven't really made any upgrades to the house yet. It has been too hot for that. We don't have insulation in the attic, so when we turn on the AC, well, the cool air goes through the roof, literally. So we have not been turning on the AC. Our house has gotten up to 95 degrees several times. Don't worry, we aren't living in the heat. We bought a small window unit and put it in one of the bedrooms, said bedroom has become our cave. We have a TV in there, our computer, our bed. Once fall comes, it will be cool enough to put insulation in the attic, and then we can continue with painting and other projects.
Speaking of TVs, Cory finally buckled down and bought a 60 inch beauty. Those of you who know Cory, know what a huge step this is, and know how cheap it must have been. Cory is the most frugal person I have ever known. We got the 60 inch LED smart TV for around $700.
In the church, I have two callings now. I am now Primary 2nd councilor, and primary chorister. The months that I teach sharing time, those poor kids will be sick of me. I'm excited about it, but a little overwhelmed. I'm still getting used to my chorister calling, learning how the kids learn new songs. What songs they actually know. How to make it fun. Now I have to add sharing time. Pray for me.
Our dryer has stopped working, which makes my life a whole lot harder. So instead of doing chores while I wait for a load, I have to spend half a day at a laundry mat. Have you ever notices that when you go to a laundry mat, the people don't really know how to react to the other people there? It's always so quiet (unless there are children there), and people communicate with weird smiles. It's like everyone expects everyone else to rapist murderers, or they are just there to steal other people's clothes, or quarters. They sit there on total high alert, watching, guarding their property, keeping it so close to them. I am guilty of it. But I can't help it, everyone else in the hot room act as thought there is going to be a massacre at any moment. So, needless to say, I hate laundry mats.
Another thing I hate, is Windows 8. Do I need to say anything else?
I saved the best news for last. I don't know how many people read my blog, so I might make this announcement to absolutely no one. But................ I am writing a book! (Sorry for those who thought I was going to say I am pregnant. I am not.) I want my story to be a 3 book trilogy, but we will see if that actually works out. I am already on chapter 4, and I am loving it! I have the big picture in mind, but as I write, the in-between stuff comes to me. I love it. I love the characters I create. I don't know if the book will go anywhere, or be any good, but I hope so. I have an awesome idea for it, I just hope I can do it justice.
Well, that is my update. Hope you enjoyed it. Stay tuned, if BlogSpot will let me manage my blog, I will write again soon. In the meantime, be happy, be helpful, and remember that "God made you special, and He loves you very much." -Veggie Tales.
Our garden is quite prosperous. We have had so many green beans since they have started blooming. They have started to slow down a bit, but we are still getting quite a few. Our Cucumbers took over the entire garden. Didn't see that one coming. We are getting so many cucumbers though. We picked 14 in just one day, it's a good thing we love cucumbers. Though we have different preferences on how to eat them. I like them plain, just cut them up and I will eat them like chips. Cory likes to soak them in Italian dressing over night and eat them that way, which I like, but the Italian dressing overpowers the cucumber. We have not been getting a lot of squash lately. At first we couldn't eat them fast enough, but we haven't had a squash in several days, which is sad. Our peas died. I planted them too late, so they never had a fighting chance anyway. Our okra are finally coming in, and I have had my first serving of slimy okra. Delightful! Once you get past the fact that it looks like someone blew their nose on them, they taste very yummy. Next year I will definitely do things a little differently with the layout of the garden.
We haven't really made any upgrades to the house yet. It has been too hot for that. We don't have insulation in the attic, so when we turn on the AC, well, the cool air goes through the roof, literally. So we have not been turning on the AC. Our house has gotten up to 95 degrees several times. Don't worry, we aren't living in the heat. We bought a small window unit and put it in one of the bedrooms, said bedroom has become our cave. We have a TV in there, our computer, our bed. Once fall comes, it will be cool enough to put insulation in the attic, and then we can continue with painting and other projects.
Speaking of TVs, Cory finally buckled down and bought a 60 inch beauty. Those of you who know Cory, know what a huge step this is, and know how cheap it must have been. Cory is the most frugal person I have ever known. We got the 60 inch LED smart TV for around $700.
In the church, I have two callings now. I am now Primary 2nd councilor, and primary chorister. The months that I teach sharing time, those poor kids will be sick of me. I'm excited about it, but a little overwhelmed. I'm still getting used to my chorister calling, learning how the kids learn new songs. What songs they actually know. How to make it fun. Now I have to add sharing time. Pray for me.
Our dryer has stopped working, which makes my life a whole lot harder. So instead of doing chores while I wait for a load, I have to spend half a day at a laundry mat. Have you ever notices that when you go to a laundry mat, the people don't really know how to react to the other people there? It's always so quiet (unless there are children there), and people communicate with weird smiles. It's like everyone expects everyone else to rapist murderers, or they are just there to steal other people's clothes, or quarters. They sit there on total high alert, watching, guarding their property, keeping it so close to them. I am guilty of it. But I can't help it, everyone else in the hot room act as thought there is going to be a massacre at any moment. So, needless to say, I hate laundry mats.
Another thing I hate, is Windows 8. Do I need to say anything else?
I saved the best news for last. I don't know how many people read my blog, so I might make this announcement to absolutely no one. But................ I am writing a book! (Sorry for those who thought I was going to say I am pregnant. I am not.) I want my story to be a 3 book trilogy, but we will see if that actually works out. I am already on chapter 4, and I am loving it! I have the big picture in mind, but as I write, the in-between stuff comes to me. I love it. I love the characters I create. I don't know if the book will go anywhere, or be any good, but I hope so. I have an awesome idea for it, I just hope I can do it justice.
Well, that is my update. Hope you enjoyed it. Stay tuned, if BlogSpot will let me manage my blog, I will write again soon. In the meantime, be happy, be helpful, and remember that "God made you special, and He loves you very much." -Veggie Tales.
Saturday, May 25, 2013
Random Rantings
You know when you want to write a new post in your blog, but you have no idea what to write about? Nothing interesting has happened to you lately. Nothing funny. That is where I'm at right now. Just having this desire to write, but being stuck with a boring time in my life right now.
I planted a garden a couple weeks ago, and it is looking great! It's small this year, but next year, we will make it bigger. We have peas, cucumbers, squash, okra, a tomato plant, and green beans. The green beans are winning in the growing contest. I am so excited. We also have 2 blueberry bushes that currently have about 5 blueberries on them. This is their first year. Our back yard is full of black berries, which is both awesome and annoying. Our yard is mostly wild. It has never been tames, we are currently working on that. But as the blackberries start becoming ripe, we will have to march through other blackberries to get to more. All the thorns. Ouch.
Have you heard of Rocklahoma? I hadn't until a couple of months ago. It's this huge even that happens in Pryor (of all places) where about 30+ bands come and put on this huge 3 day concert. Well, everywhere around the nation, people come to this. Pryor is not big, at all. Luckily, we drove out of town this weekend to stay away from the madness. It took us about 30 minutes to get out of dinky little Pryor. We saw people from Arizona, Georgia, Florida, Louisiana, North Dakota, Alaska (why you would drive from Alaska is beyond me), Kentucky, well you get the point. We also saw the Budweiser carriage and horses at Walmart, which makes this even bigger then I thought. Don't those guys come only to big events? There were miles and miles and miles of cars lining up to get into the camp area and I assume that is also where the concert it. So glad we left this weekend. Walmart was completely packed.
Well, I guess that's it. I hear little voices, they are probably awake now. Bring it on. As always, stay tuned, be good, eat your veggies, and remember you are loved.
I planted a garden a couple weeks ago, and it is looking great! It's small this year, but next year, we will make it bigger. We have peas, cucumbers, squash, okra, a tomato plant, and green beans. The green beans are winning in the growing contest. I am so excited. We also have 2 blueberry bushes that currently have about 5 blueberries on them. This is their first year. Our back yard is full of black berries, which is both awesome and annoying. Our yard is mostly wild. It has never been tames, we are currently working on that. But as the blackberries start becoming ripe, we will have to march through other blackberries to get to more. All the thorns. Ouch.
Have you heard of Rocklahoma? I hadn't until a couple of months ago. It's this huge even that happens in Pryor (of all places) where about 30+ bands come and put on this huge 3 day concert. Well, everywhere around the nation, people come to this. Pryor is not big, at all. Luckily, we drove out of town this weekend to stay away from the madness. It took us about 30 minutes to get out of dinky little Pryor. We saw people from Arizona, Georgia, Florida, Louisiana, North Dakota, Alaska (why you would drive from Alaska is beyond me), Kentucky, well you get the point. We also saw the Budweiser carriage and horses at Walmart, which makes this even bigger then I thought. Don't those guys come only to big events? There were miles and miles and miles of cars lining up to get into the camp area and I assume that is also where the concert it. So glad we left this weekend. Walmart was completely packed.
Well, I guess that's it. I hear little voices, they are probably awake now. Bring it on. As always, stay tuned, be good, eat your veggies, and remember you are loved.
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
New Home
Oh dear. My last post was in January? Dang it. Well, I do have a pretty good excuse. Well, I believe so. Around that time, Cory and I started seriously looking into houses. Our lease ended April 30, and we did not want to stay in that apartment any longer.
We found that house middle of March, and decided it was the one for us. Built in 1950, the house needed some work, but nothing too big, and the foundation was sound, and that was our main concern. While we were looking at it, the previous owners were living in it. So I couldn't be as nosey as I wanted to be. But they were living in it, so it couldn't be too bad, right? Yeah, well.... haha.
We closed on the house on April 12, She said they were going to clean up the house that afternoon so we wouldn't move into a messy house. Lies. After work, I rushed over to our new home, so excited to get moved in and get started on making it pretty. I walk in the house, and it looked nice, and I open the cabinets. (If you have a weak stomach, you might not want to read on.) They were so nasty. Dead bugs, bug poop, a very thick layer of dust.... they were living here, right? They were so bad, we had to vacuum out most of the cabinets and drawers. We cleaned with bleach, primed and painted all cabinets and drawers. Making sure to leave no trace of the nastiness that was there before.
Now it's time for the Fridge.... How can I put into words how nasty this fridge was? Well, on the inside of the door, and on the walls, it looked like they melted caramel, and smeared it all over, and since it was cold, it took forever to get it off. There was a layer of molding food smeared and crumbled on the shelves. The shelves are glass, so you can see through them, well, you are supposed to, if they were clean. I cleaned the shelves only to find the metal thing holding the shelf in place was sandwiching food between it and the self. It was like this on ALL the selves. What looked like cherry pie filling without the cherries was splattered all over the fridge. All over. The drawers in the fridge had bits of rotting fruit in them. There were dead bugs in there. Not from being stuck in the fridge where it's cold, no, they were dead because they stepped into the smeared caramel, and splattered cherry pie filling. After taking all the shelves, drawers out and pretty much anything that can come out, I bleached the whole thing about 5 times. But as I was down to last little bit. I was almost done with it. It was almost clean. I had worked on this fridge for a week and a half, all by myself. Almost throwing up in the process many times. I get to this last little bit, and I found one more bug stuck to the red nasty crap. That was it. I couldn't do it any more. I am about to break out in tears (probably a little high from the bleach) I gag so violently that I thought I was actually going to be sick. I call Cory in the room and I can barely get the words out because I am concentrating on not vomiting and making a new mess to clean up, I say "I can't do this anymore. I can't, I am so close, and I can't do it. You have to finish it." and I leave the room. I am so angry at this point. Why on Earth would someone leave a fridge like that? Their cabinets and drawers like that? How could they LIVE like that? They were living in the house up until we signed off? How could they open their cabinets, see dead bugs and say "Rats. more dead bugs, oh well, time to make pancakes." or look in the fridge and see all the rotting food, not in containers (because I know that happens to everyone) but on the walls and shelves, and drawers and think "no big deal, there is no way I can get sick from this, so I won't clean it up."
And then I go to the bathroom. The toilet and tub were cleaned, which was a surprise after seeing the kitchen. It was actually the drawers in the bathroom that they didn't bother to clean up. I'm pretty sure that one of their kids got a tooth paste tube and squeezed it all out in the drawer and no one bothered to clean it up.
I know I sound harsh. I've tried to think of way that would defend them. Maybe they forgot about it, their lives were busy and they never got around to it. But when your moving out, packing, wouldn't you see that and think "I should clean this up for the next owners."
That was the worst of it. That was my rant. Right now, we are in the process of priming and paining the living room. We planted our veggie garden and the plants are coming up. So excited about that. We have a big yard. 1.3 acres. It's really long and skinny, and we love it. There is still a lot to do with the house, but now that the nasty stuff is over with, I'm looking forward to doing it.
Thanks for reading, sorry if I made you sick to your stomach. Stay tuned, and remember God loves you.
We found that house middle of March, and decided it was the one for us. Built in 1950, the house needed some work, but nothing too big, and the foundation was sound, and that was our main concern. While we were looking at it, the previous owners were living in it. So I couldn't be as nosey as I wanted to be. But they were living in it, so it couldn't be too bad, right? Yeah, well.... haha.
We closed on the house on April 12, She said they were going to clean up the house that afternoon so we wouldn't move into a messy house. Lies. After work, I rushed over to our new home, so excited to get moved in and get started on making it pretty. I walk in the house, and it looked nice, and I open the cabinets. (If you have a weak stomach, you might not want to read on.) They were so nasty. Dead bugs, bug poop, a very thick layer of dust.... they were living here, right? They were so bad, we had to vacuum out most of the cabinets and drawers. We cleaned with bleach, primed and painted all cabinets and drawers. Making sure to leave no trace of the nastiness that was there before.
Now it's time for the Fridge.... How can I put into words how nasty this fridge was? Well, on the inside of the door, and on the walls, it looked like they melted caramel, and smeared it all over, and since it was cold, it took forever to get it off. There was a layer of molding food smeared and crumbled on the shelves. The shelves are glass, so you can see through them, well, you are supposed to, if they were clean. I cleaned the shelves only to find the metal thing holding the shelf in place was sandwiching food between it and the self. It was like this on ALL the selves. What looked like cherry pie filling without the cherries was splattered all over the fridge. All over. The drawers in the fridge had bits of rotting fruit in them. There were dead bugs in there. Not from being stuck in the fridge where it's cold, no, they were dead because they stepped into the smeared caramel, and splattered cherry pie filling. After taking all the shelves, drawers out and pretty much anything that can come out, I bleached the whole thing about 5 times. But as I was down to last little bit. I was almost done with it. It was almost clean. I had worked on this fridge for a week and a half, all by myself. Almost throwing up in the process many times. I get to this last little bit, and I found one more bug stuck to the red nasty crap. That was it. I couldn't do it any more. I am about to break out in tears (probably a little high from the bleach) I gag so violently that I thought I was actually going to be sick. I call Cory in the room and I can barely get the words out because I am concentrating on not vomiting and making a new mess to clean up, I say "I can't do this anymore. I can't, I am so close, and I can't do it. You have to finish it." and I leave the room. I am so angry at this point. Why on Earth would someone leave a fridge like that? Their cabinets and drawers like that? How could they LIVE like that? They were living in the house up until we signed off? How could they open their cabinets, see dead bugs and say "Rats. more dead bugs, oh well, time to make pancakes." or look in the fridge and see all the rotting food, not in containers (because I know that happens to everyone) but on the walls and shelves, and drawers and think "no big deal, there is no way I can get sick from this, so I won't clean it up."
And then I go to the bathroom. The toilet and tub were cleaned, which was a surprise after seeing the kitchen. It was actually the drawers in the bathroom that they didn't bother to clean up. I'm pretty sure that one of their kids got a tooth paste tube and squeezed it all out in the drawer and no one bothered to clean it up.
I know I sound harsh. I've tried to think of way that would defend them. Maybe they forgot about it, their lives were busy and they never got around to it. But when your moving out, packing, wouldn't you see that and think "I should clean this up for the next owners."
That was the worst of it. That was my rant. Right now, we are in the process of priming and paining the living room. We planted our veggie garden and the plants are coming up. So excited about that. We have a big yard. 1.3 acres. It's really long and skinny, and we love it. There is still a lot to do with the house, but now that the nasty stuff is over with, I'm looking forward to doing it.
Thanks for reading, sorry if I made you sick to your stomach. Stay tuned, and remember God loves you.
Wednesday, January 30, 2013
Turkey!
So, remember my new years goal about getting better at making dinners? Well, I made my very first turkey. I was nervous about making a turkey, because I was pretty sure that my first turkey would be really dry. With these worries, I looked up about 10 different ways to make juicy turkey. Luckily, I picked the right way. I brined the turkey for a day in salt water. Buttered it, and put that sucker in the oven. It came out perfect.I am so proud of myself. I really thought this was going to be a train wreck. What is better then turkey sandwiches? I made fresh mash potatoes, and Cory made the gravy. Mmmmm. I also made Green bean casserole as well. Easy, but I did it. Man, I am the best wife haha.
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In addition to the turkey, I made steak. I've been wanting to try this for a while. One day, I wanted to go out to eat with Cory, but he didn't want to. We compromised that we would buy steak and I would make it. Let's just say, it was perfectly done. Medium Rare to perfection. Let's just say this will be happening again. :) Pretty huh? I heated the skillet up, added olive oil, then put the steak on for about 4 minutes, then flipped and cooked the other side for about 3 minutes. YOU ONLY FLIP ONCE!!! When checking to see if it's cooked enough, the best way is to feel the steak, if you can't tell, then you puncture the steak. The problem with that, is if it's not done, and you want to cook it longer, juices leave the steak, and it becomes dry. Good luck. Let me know of ways you prepare your steak. This is all. Hope you enjoyed! Stay tuned! Remember, you are a child of God!
Saturday, January 12, 2013
Happy New Years!
OK, so I'm a little late, but that seems to be how I am. What did I do for New Years? I spent it with some friends up in Joplin area. We went to see Les Mis, and then spent the rest of the evening talking or watching Downton Abbey. It was very relaxing and enjoyable.
2013 is going to be amazing! These are my goals for this year:
Have a great day, Stay tuned, and remember that you are loved!!!
2013 is going to be amazing! These are my goals for this year:
- Get into shape. I know I share this with everyone else in the world, but I'm hoping that I will be one of the few that succeeds.
- Become better at making dinner. I'm very good at making desserts, but with my goal above, I should get better at making good, healthy dinners.
- Earn enough "fun money" for another trip to Florida.
- Buy a house. This apartment is getting a little too small. Plus, I would love the spend the money on something that will be mine. Not just on rent.
- Have Cory and I finish the Book of Mormon together. This is not our strong suit. But we are working on it.
- Visit the temple more than last year.
Have a great day, Stay tuned, and remember that you are loved!!!
Saturday, December 22, 2012
Clam Chowder
As I mentioned in the last post, December is a hectic time for us. Anniversary, birthday, and Christmas. Our 3 year anniversary was on the 18th. I told Cory that we could count our Florida trip as our anniversary present to each other. But since we have friends who share our anniversary date with us, we went to see the Hobbit on the 15th with them. Great movie!
I worked on the 18th, but Cory took the day off. So when I came home, he was all dressed up looking all fine and sexy -he took me out for lunch. I wasn't expecting this at all. He is so sweet. But for dinner, I wanted to make something special. Clam Chowder. I'm pretty proud of myself. This is the recipe:
Clam Chowder
3 cans (6.5oz) minced clams -I used chopped clams
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup diced celery
2 cups cubed potatoes
1 cup diced carrots -I didn't have any carrots, so I didn't use any, and it was still good!
3/4 cup butter
3/4 cup flour
1 quart half & half -I used evaporated milk
2 TBSP red wine vinegar -I didn't have any, so I used balsamic vinegar, but you can also use apple cyder vinegar
1 1/2 tsp salt
pepper to taste
I worked on the 18th, but Cory took the day off. So when I came home, he was all dressed up looking all fine and sexy -he took me out for lunch. I wasn't expecting this at all. He is so sweet. But for dinner, I wanted to make something special. Clam Chowder. I'm pretty proud of myself. This is the recipe:
Clam Chowder
3 cans (6.5oz) minced clams -I used chopped clams
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup diced celery
2 cups cubed potatoes
1 cup diced carrots -I didn't have any carrots, so I didn't use any, and it was still good!
3/4 cup butter
3/4 cup flour
1 quart half & half -I used evaporated milk
2 TBSP red wine vinegar -I didn't have any, so I used balsamic vinegar, but you can also use apple cyder vinegar
1 1/2 tsp salt
pepper to taste
Directions
- Drain juice from clams into a large skillet over the onions, celery, potatoes and carrots. Add water to cover, and cook over medium heat until tender.
- Meanwhile, in a large, heavy saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Whisk in flour until smooth. Whisk in cream and stir constantly until thick and smooth. (It will get VERY thick) Stir in vegetables and clam juice. Heat through, but do not boil.
- Stir in clams just before serving. If they cook too much they get tough. When clams are heated through, stir in vinegar, and season with salt and pepper.
- If it is too thick, add milk.
When I made this, I wasn't expecting the butter, cream, and flour mix to get so thick, so I sacrificed my potatoes and celery because I was afraid it was getting too thick. I think next time I will let the veggie mix cook for a while before I start the flour and cream mix. But it still ended up delicious.
I love this recipe, but I want to explore a little with other recipes. If you have a clam chowder recipe that you love, please let me know. Also, if I find one that we like more, I will post it.
Thanks for reading! Merry Christmas! Stay tuned.
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