Pictures From The River

This afternoon, Malinda, Mom and I all went to the river to check out how high the water was. We took Molly and Marley with us. We had a good time, and the dogs had fun running around with each other! Here are some pictures I took.

You can barely see 63 Bridge in this picture

The water was almost on the flat

The stairs...well some of them!

The Cabin

The dogs get along really well!

This one is so cute!
Mom & Marley!

Marley...it is so hard to get a good picture of a puppy!

Happy Halloween!!

Today was Halloween! I went to hand out candy at Malinda's house for a little while, and then I went to the church party. It was a lot of fun, we had chili and hot dogs...it was a good time! Next year, I think I will hand out candy with Malinda longer since the church party won't be on Halloween.

Here is a picture of my niece, Lauren, and my nephew, Caleb. Caleb isn't actually my nephew, but I claim him as one! This is the best picture I could get, Lauren was Minnie Mouse, but wasn't in the mood to wear her out fit, or get her picture taken. Caleb looked like he was having fun though. He was the Hulk. I also made both of them treat bags. I put candy, Halloween cups, glow sticks, and edible creepy crawlers. I really enjoy making them gift bags for Valentine's Day, Easter and Halloween, it makes the holidays even more fun!

Here is the pumpkin that I carved. It isn't the best one ever, I kinda made it in a hurry....but I think it looks unique!

Here is the recipe of my Oreo Truffles I made for the church party. They didn't turn out like I wanted them to. I think because I got kind of rushed during the afternoon and was in the middle of cleaning the hard floors, vacuuming, cleaning the bathroom and melting the chocolate. Therefore the chocolate got hotter faster than I wanted it to. But they still tasted fine! And the kids must of liked them, since there was only five left when the party was over!
Here is the recipe that I always use. I got it from http://www.kraftfoods.com/

Oreo Truffles

Prep Time: 30 min
Total Time: 1 hr 30 min
Makes:
3-1/2 doz. or 42 servings, one truffle each
What You Need!
1 pkg. (1 lb. 2 oz.) OREO Cookies, finely crushed, divided
1 pkg. (8 oz.) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened
2 pkg. (8 squares each) BAKER'S Semi-Sweet Chocolate, melted...(I used 1 pkg. white almond bark)

MIX 3 cups of the cookie crumbs and the cream cheese until well blended. Shape into 42 (1-inch) balls.
DIP balls in melted chocolate; place on waxed paper-covered baking sheet. (Any leftover melted chocolate can be stored in tightly covered container at room temperature and saved for another use.) Sprinkle with remaining cookie crumbs.
REFRIGERATE 1 hour or until firm. Store any leftover truffles in tightly covered container in refrigerator.

I hope everyone had a Happy Halloween and got lots of candy!! :)

Randoms

• I had another doctors appointment yesterday. Everything is going great so far! They measured my belly and we got to listen to the heartbeat again!


• I am almost ready to paint (or have Matt paint I should say), the nursery! The only thing left in the spare bedroom is the treadmill, and this weekend Matt is going to move it to our bedroom. As for furniture, we still need to get a crib, but we already have one picked out. For a dresser we are going to borrow one of Mom and Dad's that I used once I moved my bedroom downstairs (about my Junior year of high school). And the changing table, Malinda's Mat is making us for a gift. I can't wait to see it! So, everything is coming together!!! :)


• Work should be picking up soon. We are sending the bills out next week.
  
• Now that my cookbook is finished I am going to try to start making more 'new' recipes. For my meal plan this coming week, I have 3 new ones I am trying! I will update you on how everything goes!


• I am going to get fabric this weekend to make a few projects I found online. I am going to make some bibs, burp clothes, a sling, patchwork blanket, and the bedding! The only thing that will take me a while is the bedding, and I am requesting Mom's help with that! I found some step by step instructions on the Internet, so that should make it a little easier. I just figured since baby bedding is ridiculously expensive I should just make it. I can't wait to see the finished project!!

Well..that's all for now folks!

You would think they were starving...

I brought home cat food the other day and I am sad to say that the cats looked more happy to see the food than me! :)

One thing is for sure, it sure would be boring without animals in your life!

My Finished Cookbook!!

For the last couple of years I have been collecting recipes in a binder. But lately, the 1 binder became 3 or 4 binders! So I have been looking through all of my recipes and getting rid of ones that I will never make....for example: butternut squash raviolis. And that is just one of the ones that I remember! I condensed them down to one binder and organized each section. I am impressed with the outcome! It varies were my recipes are from. Some of them are from magazines, the Internet, some were sent from my Grandma, and some are from a blog I used to read.

Here is the finished project!!

The cover

One of the dividers

An example of what the inside looks like

Now, I have no excuses not to try new recipes!! :)

Weekend Recap!!

Friday- I went into town that evening and Mom and I made some nylon net balls and visited for a little while.

Saturday- Us girls headed to the Craft Sale. We had a good time! I didn't find anything I needed, but Malinda found a few things. We had 'walking tacos' for lunch--they were so good! We then went to Walmart and JC Penney. I am in need of a new purse. All of the purses I have now kind of look like a teenager's purse. :)

That evening Matt and I went to the local bar for a surprise party for Matt's uncle. It was a great time--and the food was great! We left by 10:00 and went to bed early!

Sunday- After church, we attended a birthday party for a church member. Her daughter put on a great dinner and the food was amazing! They had homemade spring rolls there--and now I have to get a recipe for those!

That afternoon I didn't do too much. I worked on my recipe book--(which I am finished with now!! I will post pictures later today!) After that I went into town to visit with Mom and Dad for a little bit. I then went back home to get ready to go to Matt's Dad's birthday party. I received a call right before we left, from my aunt in Nebraska. We had such a good visit!!

Liz made chili and taco soup for dinner. It was wonderful!! We also had a decorated cake and ice cream. I like being around Matt's family. They are such nice people. And I am realizing that my niece, Lauren, is getting so big! I can't believe how fast they grow!!

My weekend was great!! I hope everyone had a great one also!!

Weekend Plans!

Tonight- I am going to do my house cleaning and laundry, that way I won't have to think about it all weekend!!

Tomorrow- mid-morning us three girls are going to the arts and crafts festival in Rolla. I also need to run by Walmart to get some basic stuff for around the house. That evening Matt and I are going to a surprise birthday party for his uncle.

Sunday- Church in the morning, afterwards I am attending a birthday party for a church member. That evening I have yet another birthday party for Matt's dad. Needless to say, I will have my fill on cake by Monday! :)

I hope everyone has a great weekend!!

Randoms!

Not too much going on here...other than the weather being wonderful the last two days! I can't believe we can go from wearing our coats one day to wearing shorts the next!

* Mom and I walked last night...we had a good time visiting, we are planning on walking again tonight. We better take advantage of the nice weather!

* Tomorrow night is pictures at church for the Church Directory. I haven't fully decided on what I am wearing, but I am leaning towards a black long sleeved shirt. Hopefully our pictures turn out great!

* Work is kind of starting to pick up in the last week. We are busy sorting bills and getting them ready to mail out the first of November. Hard to believe it is almost November already!--and tax season!!! :)

* I am pumped for the Rolla Craft Sale on Saturday. I am hoping the will have a large selection of items! That evening we have a surprise birthday party to attend.

* I am going to attempt to start my Christmas cards this weekend. I was originally going to try marbleizing the cards. That was a good idea until I got to Hobby Lobby and the acrylic paints were really expensive, and I am way to cheap to pay that much for paint! So I bought some card stock, and I am going to experiment with a couple of sheets using watercolors.
The price difference: watercolors- $.99 a whole pack of colors ..... acrylics- $3.99 a color
See the difference! :)

I hope everyone is having a great week!!!

Weekend Recap!

Friday- Mom, Malinda and I had a 'girls night out'. We ate dinner at the Eagles and had a great time together! We need to do that more often! I had grilled chicken--which was very good!

Saturday- That morning I didn't do too much, just a few things around the house. Around 2:00, Mom and I headed to check out a store in town. It is a ways out of town, but not too far. It was nice to take the drive there since all the trees are changing colors! The lady had a lot of nice items. She is very creative, I would love to do some of the crafts she had there. Mom bought one bunch of bittersweet and some Chinese lanterns, and I bought a post card (a old one with flowers on it). We had a great time!

For dinner we went back to the Eagles! This time Matt came with us. They were having a fundraiser out there and we had fun watching the auction. I had the grilled shrimp this time, and it was just as good as the chicken!

Sunday- Went to church this morning, and stayed for the dinner afterwards. It was soup and sandwiches. The chicken noodle soup was amazing! I made peanut butter cookies and double chocolate chunk cookies to take to it. I always look forward to church dinners.

In the afternoon, Malinda and I took a walk in the woods with the dogs. Everything is so pretty right now, and the weather was wonderful today! After that, We came home and visited with Mom and then Mom and I went to the grocery store to do our weekly shopping!

Tonight, I am going to go back into town to walk with Mom. And then I am coming home and relaxing!

I hope everyone had a great weekend!!

A Lazy Saturday

Here is how Rascal spent most of the morning today! :)

It was too cute not to post a few pictures!

Free Baby Food!

Renee, one of the ladies that works here in the court house offered me 3 cases of baby food for free!! She got it from a lady she knows who likes the taste of it and eats it on a regular basis, don't ask me why, and she gave some to the Renee to eat. She wasn't really wanting to eat it, so she offered it to me! It doesn't expire until 2011! So I will be able to use it all!!

Weekend Recap!!

Friday- went to a local store and bought a John Deere coat hanger for the baby's room and one of my Christmas presents! I am on my way to being done already!! ---what a good feeling that is! Then Malinda and I went to Rolla. I bought a few outfits for our little munchkin at JC Penney. They sure have some good sales! We had a good time!

Saturday- Went to the craft sale, and didn't see too much I needed. I bought Mom something to add to her Christmas present. And I bought a homemade card. That afternoon we went to the cabin to clean. This summer went by so fast!

Sunday- After church we all headed over to the Brinktown dinner! The food was so good. And we had a good time visiting with people and looking at the quilts. I bought a cloth John Deere book at the Country Store.

Monday- had the day off!! Mom and I went to Jefferson City. We ate lunch at Pizza Hut, and went to a few stores. We didn't buy too much, but it was still fun to walk around and spend time with each other! I bought a few more outfits for the baby. It was a good Columbus Day!!

This is the John Deere hanger I got

This is the card that I bought at the craft sale

I bought this at another local store that was having a sale Saturday. I thought it would be cute for the baby's room!

Here are the clothes I bought.

(The first picture is a little blurry).

The dog pajamas are my favorite!!

I'm not big into sports, but some of my family is from Nebraska, so of course I had to get him something that said Huskers on it!!

Don't be alarmed...I didn't pay full price for anything..especially Calvin Klein!

TJ Maxx is the place to buy name brand clothes for 1/2 or even more off the the regular price!!

Here is the book I bought. I love it!

I hope everyone had a great weekend!!

Weekend Plans!

Tonight- Malinda and I are going to Rolla. She needs to get tulip bulbs to plant and some winter dress clothes. I am also going to see if Frieda's Closet is open to look for little boy clothes! :)

Saturday- We are going to the Annual Craft Sale in town. I am looking forward to it! Hopefully we can find some good stuff!! After that we are going to go out to the cabin and get it cleaned up for the winter. That evening, I don't have any plans :) !

Sunday- After church, we are going to go to the Brinktown Fall Dinner. They have the best sauerkraut! And it is always a good time visiting with people. Hopefully the rain will let up by then!

Monday- I am off work!! I have a short list of things that I want to accomplish, but other than that I am going to have a relaxing day off!

Not too much else going on.....

I hope everyone has a great weekend!!

Nursery Theme

We have picked a nursery theme! We have chosen John Deere. This probably isn't a big surprise to people that know us...we are big fans of John Deere! I don't know the specifics yet, but the walls will be pale yellow (John Deere yellow is way too bright!). And I am going to put border up along the top of the wall. I have been slowly cleaning out the spare bedroom this week. Hopefully I can get that done this weekend!

Halloween Decoration

I found this decoration at TJ Maxx a few weeks ago. I love it...and it was only $12! Every day you put the ghost (that is hanging to the left side) in the pocket of each day. My Grandma had one shaped like a tree for the Christmas season. With it you would place one of the figurines (that had velcro on the back) to each day. All of us grand kids looked forward to being the one to put the figurine on it each day. Definitely brings back some good memories!

Weekend Review!

Friday- After work I made 3 pumpkin rolls to sell at the yard sale. One of them ending up cracking a little too much to take to the sale, so I gave it to Mom to eat. It still tasted just as good!! I helped Mom get yard sale stuff ready the rest of the evening.

Saturday- I got up early to get the rest of my laundry washed and hung on the line. After I finished that I went into help at the yard sale. They did pretty good that morning! We had a few more customers when after I got there, and then around noon we starting packing everything back up. I ended up making $106.25!! And all of my pumpkin rolls sold! We might have it again this Saturday, if we do I am going to bake some more items for it. I can't believe they sold so well!

That evening Mom and I headed to Rolla. We ate dinner at Wendy's, went to Walmart (barely spent any money), and stopped by goodwill before they closed. I think it was one of the cheapest trips to Walmart for me. I did use a few coupons for diapers and pacifiers I had. I figured I might as well take advantage of saving a few dollars :) ! We had a good time visiting and spending the evening together!

Sunday- After church, Mom and I went to eat dinner at a local restaurant for lunch. We had the country fried steak--I love that stuff! After we ate I went to the grocery store to get the fixings for beef stew. I started the crock pot, and then I got my bread machine out to try it out. It worked really well!! I was impressed! And it was so easy...and just as good as if you made it by hand.

That afternoon I went into town to take Molly and Malinda's new dog Marley for a walk in the woods. I had so much fun. It was so nice to look at all the trees changing, and enjoy the peace and quiet of the woods.

It was nice to have everyone out for dinner. We had a good time enjoying each others company. I love having people over, its so fun to get a meal ready and get the house looking just right. When they left I walked out with them, and we all looked at the harvest full moon, It was very pretty! I told my Grandma that its too bad a lot of people don't even take time to look at the moon.

I had a great weekend..no complaints...that is always a good thing!!!

Homemade Pizza

I am a big fan of pizza, but I can't stand eating frozen pizza. So I always make it homemade. I made this one the other night. I usually put more of a variety of toppings on it, but this time I only put canadian bacon and pepperoni on it. I try not to make pizza that often, since the ingredients aren't the healthiest! But it is good every now and then! Here is a picture of my pizza I made and the recipe for the dough I always use!

Homemade Pizza Dough

Recipe By: Better Homes and Gardens
Ingredients:
2-3/4 to 3-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 pkg. active dry yeast
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup warm water (120 degrees F to 130 degrees F)
2 Tbsp. cooking oil or olive oil
Directions:
1. In a large mixing bowl combine 1-1/4 cups of the flour, the yeast, and salt; add warm water and oil. Beat with an electric mixer on low speed for 30 seconds, scraping bowl constantly. Beat on high speed for 3 minutes. Using a wooden spoon, stir in as much of the remaining flour as you can.
2. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead in enough remaining flour to make a moderately stiff dough that is smooth and elastic (6 to 8 minutes total) . Divide dough into 2 pieces. Cover; let rest for 10 minutes. Makes 2 pizzas.

Weekend Plans!!

This week has went by so fast!!

Tonight- We need to get the yard sale stuff all set up and priced! I also am going to be on a baking spree. So far I am just making a few pumpkin rolls. If I end up having some extra time I will tackle baking some cookies also. Hopefully all our stuff sells good!!

Saturday- The yard sale from 8:00-?....I'm not getting there right at 8:00. Dad is going to be at the races this weekend, and Malinda has a wedding to go to. Since everyone will have something to do but me and Mom, we might run to Rolla. Haven't decided yet though.

Sunday- Church. There is also another local fall dinner. We haven't fully decided if we are going to go or not.

Some projects/chores I want to tackle this weekend:

• Cleaning out the spare bedroom
• Working in the garage
• Looking for a nursery theme!!...this one really isn't a chore though : )
• Working on some of my crafts

Other than that we are going to spend the weekend relaxing!!

I hope everyone has a great weekend!!

We're having...

A BOY!!!

And we couldn't be any happier!!!

We can't wait to start the nursery and get things ready for our son to arrive!!