From Roots

Lately, I've been seeing picture, like this one, all over the internet! By now, I'm sure you know about my love of "Gardening." And how I just adore growing things. But when I saw people growing green onions, and lettuce, from roots....I stopped to read about it. Then I dug out some Mason Jars. Tonight, after dinner, I'm "starting" our Romaine lettuce. This should be interesting.

Yum!

Where have I been? This is such a delicious idea! I seen this picture on Pinterest. And oh my, it tickles my fancy!! I'm ready to create my own awesome, Nutella Easter candy. :)

I've Got Fettuccine Alfredo on My Mind

Fettuccine Alfredo. It's been on my mind. Ridiculously so! I've actually been dreaming about it. No lie! So when I seen that Kasey had posted a video about it, I was so excited!



Doesn't this look super easy to make? And delicious too! You can bet your life on it, I'm making this for dinner soon. I just need to pick up a few things at the store. I can't wait. :)

Sinfully Delicious

Today my hubby and I had to go fuel up the ATVs. Enzo is coming tomorrow for a visit and they are going riding. While at the gas station, I decided to go look at the candy. Is it me, or does the gas station always have better candy? I was looking through the 2 aisles of candy. Really, there were 2 aisles of sugary candy. I was wanting some chocolate. I had nothing in mind. Just some chocolate. I picked up a couple of bars and went to pay. At the register, there was a display. With Dove Peanut Butter and Chocolate bars. I bought 2.

A little while ago, I opened one of my chocolate surprises. These are so good! Almost sinfully delicious! They are sweet. But the peanut butter is just salty enough to balance the bars. I am sitting here with a big smile on my face. My hubby is laughing. He cannot believe that a chocolate bar can make me this happy! Now I want to bake something with them. Yum! :)

The Katie Brown Workshop

I am a big fan of PBS shows. I have been watching PBS since I was little. My favorites are the cooking and sewing shows. Sadly, our local station stopped showing Sewing with Nancy and Pepin. But I recently discovered the Katie Brown Workshop.

Katie is super talented. Every show includes some type of craft, recipe, and home decor project. The ideas are all super usable and user friendly. Because I have to admit, that is why I don't watch the Martha Stewart Show. I just don't have the time to make those meals or those crafts.

But Katie's approach is just so much more user friendly. Her staff is also quite entertaining. I really like that these people have great personalities. This is definitely one of my new favorite shows. I am just sad that it is only 30 minutes long, and only comes out once a week. But if you are looking for some budget friendly ideas, you might want to watch the Katie Brown Workshop. :)

Lean Cuisine Meals

I am determined to get into shape this summer. I lost a pretty remarkable amount of weight to be perfect for my wedding. Not that I was fat. But I had definitely allowed myself to gain some weight when I first started college. And I never lost the pesky Freshman 15.

But when we set a wedding date, I got real serious. I lost weight and really watched what I ate and how much I exercised. It payed off brilliantly. But after the wedding, I let all of that fall aside. We got married right before the holidays. Between the amazing food we had at the wedding, the holidays, and going on our honeymoon, my health plan flew out the window.

For New Year's I was determined to get back on track. But I was back to school. We were newlyweds. I was trying to be a good wife and cook lots of good food. And we were looking to buy a new house. I pretty much gained all my weight back.

Then I talked to Lola. She is a nutrition guru. She is studying nutrition and pre-med. So you can imagine, she had lots of great tips for me. We set up a plan and I started my whole get in shape routine. It has been going well. But I noticed that for lunch, I was eating a lot. Probably because I am home alone during the day. And our garden is giving tons of food.

Again, I talked to Lola. And she recommended the Lean Cuisine meals. These, I know for a fact, are meals that she eats. Because she is always on the go, Lola buys these for her lunch. She has a nice supply at work. I have to agree, they are quick and easy. The part that I like best is, they are already portioned out. That happens to be my issue. I like to eat bigger portions than I should.

But these meals come in a variety of flavors. There is something for everyone's taste. Real comfort foods, Oriental food, even Mexican inspired foods. They all cook up in under 5 minutes in the microwave. And honestly, the portions are very filling. I have been able to find them on sale at Albertson's for $2 a piece. I would recommend these for anyone who is trying to watch what they are eating, or for the busy people out there. They are tasty! :)

This Week's Updates

Here are the updates in our house for the week.....

1. Our mail system here is for the birds. Lola put her mail on hold. We have done this before. And the rest of us get mail. Not this time. Forget the whole package fiasco, we cannot even talk to anyone about it at the post office. Lola has to, she won't be back until the middle of next week. We PROMISE our apron packages are going to be mailed out again.....SOON!!!

2. My husband and I's mailbox for our home, it is one of those group mailbox things at the end of the street. Well, we get some mail sent there, nothing important. The mailbox was broken into last night! We don't think it is a safe system.

3. It is still raining here. I just wish that it would rain really hard for a day or so. Then stop for a while. Instead, it is so hot during the day. Then the crazy winds come in the afternoon, and it rains off and on all night!

4. I finally finished our den. Yeah, everything is in it's place. At least for now. We have painters coming in June. :(

5. Lola is still gone working in NC. I miss her! Probably more than normally because Enzo is here visiting.

6. I thought the USPS was bad around here. I went grocery shopping this morning. I came home to find a notice from the city that they shut off our gas due to maintenance reasons. The note had a phone number to call so the service could be turned back on. I called. They are behind schedule and can't get back until late Monday or early Tuesday. What???

7. About an hour ago, we didn't have water either. But about 5 minutes ago, it came back. Now it is coming out brown. We have BROWN WATER!!! What is going on around here?

8. We have a gas stove, so I don't know how I am supposed to cook until Tuesday.

9. I did it, I bought 2 pairs of shoes this week!!! I didn't "need them," but they did make me happy. My hubby also got something.....a new saddle. He has been needing one.

10. My tio and tia are still on their vacation. But my tio got sick. Now I think they are coming home sometime this weekend.

11. My parents are coming to visit us next weekend!!! I am so excited!!! Mom I can't wait! You and I are going to have some fun. :)

12. I miss my best friend. I really do. We haven't talked in days. If this is how it is going to be if she moves to NC, well she can't!!! I am joking. But seriously, we haven't talked in a week or so. Because she dropped her briefcase in a puddle somewhere in NC. And both her laptop and cellphone are no more. :(

13. Enzo decided to stay here (well not here, but in the state) until after next weekend. His cousin is having an important cumpleanos. He decided to go to it. I guess that means more "Guy Time." :)

14. I miss my girls too!!! That was just a tease that they came last weekend. We had such a good time. Come back soon Jelly, Sam, and Sara!!!

15. I am still doing my workout DVDs and I have lost another 2lbs. I am so HAPPY about that!!! :)

That's all I can think of right now. I need to figure out what we are going to do for dinner. And I really want to do some crafting tonight. I am feeling really inspired and creative. :)

Racing Sunday

Let's start with the Indy 500

Helio Castroneves won it!!! It was his 3rd Indy 500 win.

How cool is that? I think it is incredible. especially after the month he has had. But the race overall, was pretty boring. The beginning 25+ laps were interesting. Heck, the 1st lap was packed full of emotion. The rest, not so much. At least not until the last 25 or so laps.

Now folks, let's talk about the Coca-Cola 600

This picture was from the opening ceremonies. NASCAR really does know how to celebrate our armed forces, troops, and veterans. We literally went from ABC's coverage of the Indy 500 to FOX's coverage of the Coca-Cola 600. Sara and Little M wanted nothing, and I mean not a thing to do with the indy race. The 2 of them sat and watched coverage of NASCAR in the living room while the rest of us were in the den.

Apparently, this is a weekly thing for the both of them. S did not seemed alarmed that her 3 yr old princess was decked out in her #88 firesuit, glued to the TV, waiting for just a glimpse of her boyfriend. Sara.....she was waiting for that same glimpse.....apparently for some of the same reasons. I just think, she likes to look at that man in his suit. :) Jason just thinks she is crazy.....but he is still crazy in love with his woman!

The opening ceremonies were great.....then the rain came. And did it ever. Lola, are you out there? How about J? Possibly Manders? You guys need a boat? You see, my friends are in NC, and they seem to be getting drenched. The race went into a rain delay for hours. Which apparently, is something that was going to last forever. Some 3-4 hours into the delay, the race was finally postponed. :(

Tomorrow morning (12PM ET) we are going to watch the race.....hopefully. :) Let's see what happens. Little M was just miserable that FOX interviewed everyone.....but her boyfriend. How dare they. She just cracks me up. Wasn't it bad enough that the race on Saturday night was called due to rain. Let's just say Little M is not a big fan of the rain.

Do not fret people. We had a great time hanging out with all of our friends. It was so nice to have so many people visiting. And the food.....oh the food. Is it OK that I cheated today and ate some good party food today? I hope so, because it was good! :)

This racing thing is just not my hubby and I's thing. We are more into baseball, even football. But it was nice to watch something new. And to see how other sports do "their thing." But tomorrow, hopefully we will get to watch this NASCAR race that I have been hearing so much about. Little M is so excited for it!

I am leaving you with a picture of Dale Jr. He seems to be the favorite amongst our group. I don't really know much about NASCAR, but he seems like a good guy to cheer for. After all, Little M, Sara, and Lola are his fans. :) My husband did have this to say though, "Do you think he glows in the dark? He is looking rather pale. Something fierce like Lola's legs. :)

Dale Jr. practicing for the Coca-Cola 600

Really?

I just got back from the grocery store. We ran out of BBQ sauce the night before last, and we need some for dinner tonight. My husband made me a list before he left for work this morning. Because he is making dinner tonight. I take it, we are having BBQ chicken with all the fixings.

That is not what disturbed me. I went to look through the BBQ section, and I was a little overwhelmed. There are only 100 different BBQ sauces available. No, I don't make my own sauce. My husband does occasionally when we have time on the weekend. But on the top of his list, was BBQ sauce. We usually buy it at Costco, so I was struggling to find the brand he wanted.

Then I saw this.....



Doesn't that just disturb you? I can't imagine putting Dr. Pepper flavored BBQ sauce on my chicken. Or marinating a steak with 7UP marinade. What do you think? Would you use these?

Happy Cinco de Mayo!

Happy Cinco de Mayo!

I don't know about you, but I never really used to celebrate Cinco de Mayo. Until I met Lola. Not only is she one of my best friends, she is also mariachi player. She usually is working some kind of fun party for Cinco. Thus, began our celebrations. This year is no different. We are invited to a party for some friends of hers. The little girls are going to dance folklorico style, Lola and her friends will play mariachi music, and Mems makes mouth watering food. It should be a nice evening. This heat is a little much for me, but I am anxious. To be very honest, I am just looking forward to some chicharrones, guacamole, and fresh tortillas.