Winter.....bleh!

The weather here is so bad. It has done nothing but sleet and snow today. This morning I woke up to lightning and sleet pounding the master bathroom window. It was so loud, I got up and closed the bathroom door. I always think it's so strange when it starts lightning and thundering in the middle of an ice storm. I never remember that as a child. I really get scared sometimes that the whole global warming thing might be true. We never used to get ice storms in Oklahoma like we do. The past couple of years have been horrendous.

I stayed home from work because I just couldn't handle the drive in. Everyone said the sleet on top of the sheet of ice helped but it was still bad. I just can't chance it. I'm too important to my babies. I think the fact that my Dad died in a car wreck on a rainy day in January really freaks me out when the weather gets bad. I just can't handle driving my back wheel car on this slick stuff. Too scary for me! Call me a wimp - I'm not doing it!

Just Another Manic Monday......

We have been hit by the worst ice storm! My normal 40 minute commute resulted in a 2 hour and 20 minute treacherous 5 mile an hour journey. Every bridge and highway had wrecks galore. I'm just so glad that I made it to the daycare and my entire family arrived home safely. Needless to say, there was a lot of praying going on.....the boys and I even said a little prayer out loud we were so worried.

I did have one mishap - when I got to the daycare to pick up the boys...I completely missed the turn. I just slid on down the road. I seriously couldn't stop for 150 yards. All the way down the street. So what did I do? Turn around and go back? Heck no, I called the daycare director ( who's also a good friend) and told her to send the boys down the street to me.They walked on the grass, far away from the street. I did have their safety in mind. They thought it was so funny! I had pulled into a little parking lot to wait for them and they had more fun slipping and sliding. Goofballs!

Speaking of prayers - Little Harper Stamps is doing so well at Saint Francis. I wrote about Kelly's blog -Kellyskornerblog a while back. Her baby was so sick when she was born. She is slowly but surely getting better everyday! I was so worried about her. I'm so happy for Kelly and her family. I know it's been a truly rough week.

One of the wonderful things about today is:

It was "cleaning lady" day!

I know, I'm one of those people. I actually pay someone to clean my house. Well, the way I see it.....I work everyday outside of the house so I deserve to give myself a little treat. My cleaning lady is the best. She rearranges my pictures on my sidetables sometimes just to change things a bit. I love it! When she's done cleaning, she always turns on the living room lamps...it is the most comforting thing in the world. When I walk into the living room, there is a warm glow. So inviting. I just read on The Nester's (nestingplacenc.blogspot.com) blog about making a room more friendly and inviting and one of her tips had to do with lamps. Great minds think alike!

4. Turn off the Overhead Light: Want to look 10 years older? Stand under an overhead light--especially the kind from the ceiling fan with 4 different naked light bulb bottoms showing--they will surely highlight every crevice on your face. Soften up the room with lamps. And TURN the lamps on! Most family rooms can hold three lamps placed around the room.

Some ideas

I'm going to try some mistreatments - got the idea from The Nester- love her!

Love!

Have to do!

A relaxing Saturday

Today the boys were at their Daddy's house which meant I was able to sleep in this morning. I actually was so worried about baby Harper (see post below) that I woke up at 5:30 am and checked the internet for an update. I stayed up looking at blogs until about 7:15 and then went back to bed with Allie. She likes to sleep in bed under the covers with me. I didn't mind - it was a cold morning. I know that probably shocks the "clean freaks" in the world, but, yes - I sleep with my boxer in bed. Dog hair and all. And, it doesn't even bother me because I love her that much. Ha!

After I leisurely drank my morning coffee, which I have to have every morning, I watched the Food Network. It doesn't get any better than that. My perfect morning. I started watching the Food Network when I became a stay-at-home mom with T-man in 1999. It was my company during long days at home with a sleeping baby. I'm now a Food Network addict and I'm not afraid to admit it. I love each and every one of the shows. The Cooking for Real one kind of bugs me though. She's trying too hard. But give me Paula Deen, Giada De Laurentiis, Ina Garten and Tyler Florence all day long. Tyler is one of my favorites - can he get any cuter?!

At about 1pm, I went and picked up my friend Jennifer and we ventured to the big city to go eat at Los Cabos. Yummy! I ate tortilla chips with the salsa. First carbs I've had in about 8 days. For the record, I felt horrible after eating all those carbs. I've actually lost about 6 pounds since starting the South Beach Diet - it has made me feel so much better. After lunch, we ventured around the shopping center and looked in a few shops. Then we drove around town and looked at all of the huge houses they are building in that area. I don't think the housing market has really hit Oklahoma. It's not stopping anyone from building as far as I can see.

It was fun to just get out and do something. Oh - I did go to Target and buy a new camera. I can't believe it. I've used the same Cannon for 5 years now. My new Olympus is so slim I can carry it in my pocket. I hope the picture quality is good. I'm actually reading the instructions. That's a miracle in itself.

H-man had his Cub Scouts Pinewood Derby this morning in town. His Daddy and T-man helped him make his little car until midnight the night before. H-man got 2nd and 4th in the race. He was so proud. They said next year they're gonna start working on the car in October. I believe they will too! Their Dad likes to build any kind of car. I'm glad he got to share that with them. I know they all enjoyed it!

I just checked Kelly's blog for an update on Harper and she arrived in Tulsa and is doing well. She didn't even need to have the heart/lung bypass that was originally planned. God is certainly listening to the thousands of prayers for that sweet baby girl. I know I've been worried and concerned all day. I'm thinking I'll drop something off at St. Francis Monday during my lunch hour. Maybe a basket with goodies for the family while they are staying with her.

Mr. Hautemama and I are getting ready to go to my beloved Sonic to get ice cream (for him, not me). I might get a Diet Cherry Limeade! Yum!

Please Pray for Harper and the Stamps Family

Kelly Stamps from Kellys Korner Blog delivered her baby Harper Brown yesterday and she is in VERY critical condition with pneumonia. They live in Northwest Arkansas and are transferring her to Tulsa - St. Francis Hospital. I felt such relief reading that because I know they have great doctors there. I really hope Harper gets Dr. Sanjiv Sood - he saved Tyler's life in my opinion. He was the doctor that diagnosed him with Erb's Palsy.
Please pray for Kelly and her family, especially her sweet baby.

I washed the blonde out of my hair

I did it! I colored my hair dark. It's now dark brown with a red overtone. I really like it. I think it brings out the light brown in my eyes. It did take a while to get used to it, but I was ready for a change!

My favorite decorating ideas

Love this bedroom! I might try to reproduce it someday. I think this is the nesters room.

My Dad

Four years ago today my Dad died. He died in a way I never imagined. A car accident. You see....he had suffered through four heart attacks and heart bypass surgery, only to die in a car wreck. Makes no sense. I really thought he would suffer another heart attack and be gone. Strange how life works. I wish I hadn't have bugged him so much about eating right. I'd have let him eat all the chicken fried steak in the world if I'd have known he wasn't going to die from heart disease.

I worked as a business partner to my Dad for three years before he passed away. Three of the best years of my life. I got to spend everyday side-by-side with one of the people I admired and loved the most in the world. You see, my Dad wasn't the normal type of Dad. He adored me. Truly adored me. He used to tell me that I was his legacy. He always wanted me to do better than he did. He always tried to give me more than he had. Every morning when I was a child, he would wake me up and make me sing an old song that goes something like this...."I feel pretty, I feel pretty, I feel pretty, and witty and wise". He wouldn't let me get by with not singing it. And..trust me, when you are a teenager that gets really annoying. But, my Dad was the ultimate optimist. Always cheerful and ready to give you a big smile. He was so proud of my Mom. When I would go to their house to eat dinner, he'd look over at me and then my Mom and say, "My Gosh...look at how beautiful your Mom is. That's the sexiest woman in the world." And then he'd smile really big. A big, ornery smile. That was my Dad.
I never saw that man down. In any situation, he was as calm as a cucumber. He used to have a sign in his office that said," Be like a duck, calm on the surface and paddling like hell underneath." That was his demeanor.
He was actually my savior in my 30th year of life. I had just suffered through a divorce with an 8 month old and a 3 year old and had no idea which way was up. I was completely lost. But, my Dad and Mom moved us in their house and made us feel at home. My Dad gave me a job and worked hard to help me learn the business world. I spent a lot of time worrying that I was a burden on my Dad financially when I got divorced and lived with my parents. But, now knowing that I only had 3 years left with him, I love the fact that I lived with my parents. My sons were able to wake up every morning and sit in his lap. And they did. Every morning. H-man even drank sips of black coffee because he was a toddler and wanted a sip of what "Dan-Dan" was drinking. Dan-Dan would also take T-man to eat at the Brown Cow Cafe before driving him to preschool. Just the two of them. That was their special time together.
I leaned on my Dad a lot in my adult years but I know he loved having me around. If there is anything in this world I am sure of....it's the fact that there was a man that thought the world of me.....and I thought the same about him.

I love you Daddy! Forever and Always!

Protein, Protein, Protein

I'm giving in and trying the South Beach Diet. Last time I did the Atkins, I lost 6 pounds in one week. The no carb thing about killed me though. I didn't realize how much I like to eat cereal until I couldn't, or cinnamon rolls for that matter. The South Beach will let you introduce healthy carbs after two weeks. I'm on day 3 and it's going pretty well. I've been snacking on my Babybel Light cheese and hummus with celery.

Tonight I made a new recipe - it's actually really simple and was highly recommended by one of my favorite bloggers, Kelly of KellysKornerBlog. She is so unbelievably adorable and upbeat. The name of the casserole is Chicken Supreme. Here's the lowdown:

4 - 6 chicken breasts

4-6 slices of bacon (or turkey bacon)

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 16 oz. container of sour cream

1 jar of dried beef, torn into pieces - found in the tuna, canned chicken section (this was almost impossible to find - no Walmart store in our area had it but found it at one of the more expensive stores-I bought 4 to keep in the pantry)

Sorry for the poor picture quality!

Put the chicken breasts wrapped with a slice of bacon in a casserole dish. Mix the other ingredients together and cover the chicken breast with the mixture. It will look like this when done. Please excuse the wear on my casserole dish. It's seen many, many years of baking!

I think it's going to make a good no-carb dish while I'm on the two-week Phase I. which allows no carbs hardly at all. I'm going to steam some cauliflower, mix with half-and-half and butter. This should serve as a good substitute for the mashed potatoes, which I really want...ugh! It's hard to watch what you eat.

This weekend was uneventful just like I like it. I worked on a few projects. I painted a set of bookends for H's room. Red - just like our beloved OU Sooners. I'm not going to talk about the National Championship heartbreak.....so sad! Our niece spent the night Saturday. I had taken her to Wal-mart on Friday night to pick out some eye makeup. She's 12 and really wanted to start learning how to "tastefully" wear a little eyeliner and eyeshadow. I love it that she comes to me for these things. I'm glad I could try to show her the proper way. Not that I'm the expert or anything! Ha!

Isn't she the prettiest?! She's almost a teenager.

Mystery Solved

Apparently the lunch money mystery has been solved. H-man has been eating breakfast every morning at home. I usually fix waffles, pancakes and even scrambled eggs for them. No shortage of good food to eat at home. Well, he has eaten breakfast at school every morning since school started. No wonder all of the money I was sending was disappearing. He was eating something close to $4 a day in cafeteria food.

At least he's not one of those picky kids that won't eat anything. I feel pretty lucky!

I owe how much?

My little H man came home today from school with a ton of notes in his backpack. Apparently they have saved all paperwork throughout the semester and decided to send it home the first couple of days back after Christmas break. While weeding through his notes, I came across an official looking letter from the Principal at the elementary school. Inside it stated that I owed no less than $55.50 for H's lunches. WHAT?!
FIFTY - FIVE DOLLARS.
That's right - I'm going to need to send at least $100 to school with him to even pay for lunches for the rest of January. So much for trying to save money in the new year. I guess I never saw the notes that usually come home saying you are running low on lunch money. My friend Melissa called and I was complaining to her about the lunch money dilemma....and she asked, "Is he eating breakfast there too?" I turned to H and asked him if he ever ate breakfast there. We always feed the boys breakfast at home. Then he pipes up and says, "Well, whenever I'm not full enough, which is about every morning."
I guess he's been eating the equivalent of about $4.00 a day for meals when I thought it was $2.00. No wonder we have such a debit in our account.

Are you ready for some football?!

If you know my family at all, you know that the most important part of our lives is college football. Specifically, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Alabama and Georgia. We schedule our lives in the Fall months in advance so that everything comes after football. I am an Oklahoma State fan while my honey is a die hard Oklahoma fan. That was the first thing Jim cleared up with me on our first date. He simply told me that there was one thing that was really important in his life and it was Oklahoma Sooner football. He proceeded to tell me that he bought season tickets every year and he didn't want to hear any complaining about it or we wouldn't be able to date.

I knew then that I had met my match. He was so much like my Daddy - a true college football fan. Rain, sleet, snow, he was going to the game. I went with my family to almost every home OSU game as a kid.

Nothing stops Jim from attending as many OU games as possible. Try figuring that scheduling out during soccer season with two little boys. UGH! Not fun.

Needless to say, our favorite family activity is watching football. Either in the stadium or on TV. This bowl season has not been a good one so far for me. My Oklahoma State Cowboys lost and then Alabama lost. So heartbreaking. My brother went to Alabama when Bear Bryant was the coach. He feels the same strong emotions for Alabama that Jim feels for Oklahoma. Our dog is even named Alabama Tide because my family loves Alabama so much.

Tonight we ordered pizza in so we could be ready to watch the Texas v. Ohio State game. We're actually rooting for Texas because, all in all, we LOVE the BIG 12! Here are the boys laying on a pallet with Miss Allie in between. She loves her little boys so much.

Here we are last year at the OU/Texas game - the Sooners kicked some booty that game!

Let's hope the Sooners show everyone this year that they are true National Champions! Go Sam Bradford! Heisman Trophy winner - woo-hoo!

Happy New Year!

We spent our New Year's Eve at a neighbors house just around the corner. It was so much fun and my friend Melissa is the best cook! She grilled steaks, made spitfire shrimp (recipe to follow), and baked potatoes. Dessert was Bananas Foster and Lemon Bars. My favorite meal for sure! It was especially good since the stomach bug had been visiting our family for the past 10 days or so. I was so sick....I felt like I would never get over it. Yuck. That's the worst thing in the world. But, I rallied and felt better by the afternoon of the 31st so we could go enjoy spending time with our friends. They had just gotten the Wii for Christmas so we spent the night bowling, playing darts, and golfing. Anytime competition is involved, Jim is a happy man!
The boys were with their Dad so we haven't had them with us since Christmas. That really makes the holiday hard for me. It just doesn't seem like a holiday without my little guys around. But, I always try to make the best of it and get through it.

The economy is still shaky so I'm looking for recipes for the New Year to make at home. I want to stop eating out for lunch everyday at work. That's a good $10 that I don't want to spend on food. Especially when I can just bring leftovers to work and eat that. I found some recipes that sound really great. I think I'm going to try them in the next week or so.
From whatsmandicooking.blogspot.com

Country Casserole
from: Southern Plate
2 cups small shell pasta, cooked and drained
3 cups frozen mixed vegetables, cooked and drained
2 cups shredded cheddar, divided
One can French fried onions, divided
2 cups shredded cooked chicken
1 can cream of chicken soup
¼ cup milk
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp garlic powder
½ tsp salt
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine everything in a large bowl, reserving half of the cheese and half of the onions for topping later. Spoon into 9x13 casserole dish. Bake for twenty five minutes. Top with remaining onions and cheese, bake until cheese is melted, about five minutes more.Freezing options: Instead of freezing this in your casserole dish, simply spoon it into a gallon ziploc bag. Lay the bag flat so that it will thaw out quicker and place it in your freezer. On the day you want it, take it out the night before and refrigerate or place in fridge that morning.If you forget to do all of this, no sweat! Just microwave the bag until it thaws just a bit, pour into your casserole, and bake! To bake a casserole that is still frozen, simply place in the oven while the oven preheats. This allows the casserole to thaw quickly and then bake to perfection!

Bruschetta Chicken Skillet
From: Brie's Blog
1/4 cup KRAFT Sun-Dried Tomato Dressing
4 small boneless skinless chicken breast halves (1 lb.)
2 large red peppers, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cans (14-1/2 oz. each) pasta-style or Italian-style diced tomatoes, undrained
1/2 cup water
2 cups instant white rice, uncooked
1 cup Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
1 large tomato, chopped
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh basil
HEAT dressing in large skillet on medium heat. Add chicken, peppers and garlic; cover. Cook 10 min. or until chicken is cooked through (165ºF), turning after 5 min. Remove chicken from skillet; cover to keep warm.
ADD canned tomatoes and water to skillet. Stir in rice; bring to boil. Reduce heat to low; simmer, uncovered, 10 min. Meanwhile, combine cheese, chopped tomatoes and basil.
RETURN chicken to skillet; sprinkle with cheese mixture. Cover. Cook 5 min. or until chicken is heated through and cheese is melted.

2 tablespoons butter or vegetable oil1 medium onion, peeled and diced3 cups diced, cooked chicken2 (14 1/2-ounce) cans green beans, drained and rinsed1 (8-ounce) can water chestnuts, drained and chopped1 (4-ounce) jar pimentos1 (10 3/4-ounce) can condensed cream of celery soup1 cup mayonnaise1 (6-ounce) box long-grain wild rice, cooked according to package directions1 cup grated sharp Cheddar Pinch saltPreheat oven to 350 degrees F. Heat butter or oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Add onion and saute until translucent, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and transfer to a large bowl.Add all remaining ingredients to bowl and mix together until thoroughly combined.Pour into a greased 3-quart casserole dish. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until bubbly. Let stand for a few minutes before serving.

Poppy Seed Chicken (From Kelly's Korner)
2 or 3 chicken breasts, boiled and cut in small pieces
1 16 oz sour cream
2 cans cream of chicken
2 tbls of poppyseeds (I don't measure - I just shake a ton in)Ritz crackers
1 stick of butter
Mix the first 4 ingredients and put in a baking dish. Cover with crushed up ritz crackers. Melt a stick of butter and pour on top. Bake for 20-30 minutes at 350.

The recipe above came from KellysKorner.com. I just love her blog. She's so cute and positive. Everyone needs to be as positive and thankful about things in life as she is. I'm going to work hard to just thankful for what I have.