• Travel

    Gatlinburg 2017

    February 10, 2017 - By 

    We enjoyed another annual ski trip with the Scouts again this year. Last year I stayed back to deal with moving and organizing stuff after having the carpet installed. This year, I went so that Caitlyn wouldn’t have to pay for a room by herself. As usual we caravanned up there Friday night arriving around 1 am. The next morning the scouts got up and gallivanted through Downtown Gatlinburg, while Caitlyn and I decided to explore Gatlinburg on our own. We walked around and shopped and then ate an early lunch at Bennett’s Pit BBQ, which is my favorite place…

  • Trombones vs. Trumpets 2017
    Life

    Trombones vs. Trumpets 2017

    February 2, 2017 - By 

    Sunday was the Annual Bodie Bowl, where the trombones and trumpets wage war on the football field. The intense rivalry begins on the marching field every August when the band convenes to prepare for the upcoming AU football season. Even after the last note is blown, the last flag is popped, and instruments, equipment, and uniforms are returned, this staunch rivalry never dies. To continue the tradition, these 2 sections of the band meet on the football field not to march in concordance, but to see who can cross the goal line more. Here’s a few pics from the action……

  • Life

    Memories of the Month {2.2016}

    February 29, 2016 - By 

    Happy leap day! Can’t believe this month is over already!! This month I was happy about: starting off the month on vacation. This year I’m going to rate the books & movies. Here’s my rating system: ♥ ♥ = Love it! A must read/see! ♥ = Really good! Highly recommend. ✓ ✓ = Good, not great ✓ = Not much to talk about X = Awful. Total waste of time Movies I watched were: Ghostbusters (for the gazillionth time) TV Shows I watched were: NCIS NCIS LA NCIS NO CSI Cyber Hawaii 50 Amazing Race Survivor Orange Is the New…

  • Chicken - Recipes

    Cheesy Chicken, Bacon, and Ranch Orzo

    February 24, 2016 - By 

    The other night I was craving cheesy homemade macaroni, so I was anxious to not just have it as a side. Instead wanted to make it a meal. I looked in the fridge for some inspiration. I found some bacon that needed to be used soon. After some thought, I decided to do Chicken, Bacon, and Ranch mac & cheese. However, when I looked in the pantry there was NO macaroni! The orzo that I bought months ago and haven’t figured out how to use it was staring back at me. So there ya go. I decided to give it…

  • Travel

    Day in San Juan

    February 22, 2016 - By 

    On our full day in San Juan, Puerto Rico, we got up and went out on the balcony to see it in the daylight. Soon after that we hit the streets looking for somewhere open for breakfast. It was probably about 8:30 and not a lot was open yet. We ended up at a cafe inside the Restaurant Barrachina. They had a small menu with a wide variety. Rob had the French Toast Casserole and I had a Sausage, Egg, and Cheese sandwich. We left there full and walked around some more. Here’s a google map of many of the…

  • Beef - Recipes

    Italian Meatball Burger

    February 18, 2016 - By 

    This is one of the best burgers I’ve ever had/made! This meatball burger is to die for. The basil, cheese, and sauce gives this burger so much flavor. Servings: 4-5 Prep Time: 20 minutes Cooking Time: 25 minutes Ingredients: 1 1/2 pounds ground beef 2 tbs. garlic powder 2 tbs. EVOO 1 small onion, finely chopped 1 cup of finely chopped bell pepper 2 heaping tbs. dried basil 2/3 cup of shredded parmigiano-reggiano cheese 1/3 cup of powdered parmesan cheese 1 bottle of spaghetti sauce (I use Classico or homemade) 4 hamburger or ciabatta rolls Directions: 1. Preheat oven to…

  • Travel

    Atlanta to San Juan

    February 16, 2016 - By 

    The day we left for San Juan, we got up with the kids and saw them off to school before finishing up with our packing and running a few errands. We left around 11 and headed up to Rob’s Mom’s house where we would pick up Rob’s brother, Nick, who was driving us to the airport. Before going to the airport, we stopped at one of our favorite places to have Chinese, Fire Dragon. From there it was off the airport, where we were dropped off at Delta curbside check with no line! We got through a long line of…

  • Travel

    Pirilo Pizza Rustica – San Juan, Puerto Rico

    February 12, 2016 - By 

    The night we got into San Juan, it was just passed 11 pm after we got checked in to our hotel and everything. Pretty much all the restaurants near us in Old San Juan were closed. We were pretty hungry, so we were happy that Pirilo Pizza Rustica was still open. We weren’t super excited about having pizza in San Juan, but at that point we weren’t going to turn it down. Pirilo is a quaint little spot with a bar and a few tables. I think there was an upstairs to the restaurant, but we didn’t go up there.…

  • Memories of the Month - Taking time to document the important memories from January.
    Life

    Memories of the Month {2.2015}

    February 28, 2015 - By 

    This month I was happy about: getting to eat good food in Texas. This year I’m going to rate the books & movies. Here’s my rating system: ♥ ♥ = Love it! A must read/see! ♥ = Really good! Highly recommend. ✓ ✓ = Good, not great ✓ = Not much to talk about X = Awful. Total waste of time Movies I watched were: Non-Stop TV Shows I watched were: CSI – Can’t believe it’s over! The Mentalist – Great end to the series finale NCIS NCIS LA NCIS NO Scandal Person of Interest Hawaii 50 The Bachelor The…

  • Life

    Granny’s Funeral

    February 27, 2015 - By 

    Family Friday {Granny’s Funeral} Before the funeral the church prepared a lovely lunch for us. We enjoyed fellowship with family as well as the church members. We went to say goodbye to Granny one more time before they closed her casket and then we gathered in the parlor. Rob was a pallbearer and then we all rode in Cadillacs with motorcycle police escorts over to the grave site.

  • 10 Tips for Better iPhone Pictures - Here's a few simples things to remember to make your iPhone pics better!
    Photography

    10 Tips for Better iPhone Pictures

    February 26, 2015 - By 

    It’s Thursday, so I’m looking back at my New Year’s Resolutions. Today I’m getting real with one of my resolutions. #2…There are just some days that I can’t for one reason or another carry my big camera with me. In most situations, I at least have it in my car, but again, there’s just some places and times, I can’t or don’t feel like lugging it along. So with that being said, I think most of us these days have a decent camera phone. If you have an iPhone 5 or greater, they take really darn pics, considering. Today I’m…

  • Cajun Chicken Pasta
    Chicken - Dinner

    Cajun Chicken Pasta

    February 25, 2015 - By 

    Servings: 4 Prep Time: 5 minutes Cooking Time: 20 minutes Ingredients: 1 1/2 lbs. boneless skinless chicken breast halves cut into bite size pieces 4 tsp. Cajun seasoning (I used Slap Ya Momma) 4 tbs. Olive Oil 2 cups heavy cream (more if needed) 1/2 tsp. dried basil 1/2 tsp. lemon pepper seasoning 1/2 tsp. salt 1/4 tsp. freshly-ground black pepper 1/4 tsp. garlic powder 1 box Penne pasta Grated Parmesan cheese Directions: 1. Cook pasta as directed. 2. While the pasta is cooking, place chicken and Cajun seasoning in a bowl and coat evenly. 2. In a large skillet…

  • Next time you're in Fort Myers and looking for a unique place to eat, I highly recommend Capone's Coal Fired Pizza.
    Life - Travel

    Capone’s Coal Fired Pizza {Fort Myers, FL}

    February 24, 2015 - By 

    On our Florida Tour, on Sunday after leaving Myakka River State Park, we drove the rest of the way down to Fort Myers, Florida where we were staying at the Hotel Indigo. We checked into the hotel, got settled in and then decided to walk around and find a cool place to eat. We ended up at Capone’s Coal Fired Pizza. Many of us weren’t in the mood for Pizza. However, after examining the menu that was displayed outside we decided to give it a try, because it had pasta and paninis. Drew and Caitlyn both got the Fettuccine Alfredo,…

  • Dessert - Recipes

    Chess Cake with Pecans

    February 23, 2015 - By 

    Chess Cake with Pecans is just one of the yummiest desserts I’ve ever had. Now I’ll admit when I indulge on dessert, I usually want it to have chocolate in it. However, on occasion I crave something more like this and I also know that some people don’t care for chocolate as much as I do. I enjoy making this recipe for church potlucks for that very reason. Next time you’re looking for an amazing, non-chocolate dessert, you should give this a try! Servings: 18 Prep Time: 15 minutes Cooking Time: 40 minutes Ingredients: 1 cup chopped pecans 1/2 cup…

  • Life

    Granny

    February 20, 2015 - By 

    Family Friday {Granny} Last week, it was kind of quiet around here, because my Granny passed away and we spent part of the week in Texas. She entered the gates of Heaven on Sunday, February 8th. Rob and I flew out to Texas on Wednesday for the funeral on Friday. Granny was my last living Grandparent, so not only was it hard to lose her, it was hard knowing I now have no Grandparents and I have just 1 parent: my Mom. I never realized when people start losing family members how that really feels. It’s kind of a scary…

  • This Week I Will...(Printable)
    Life

    Keeping Up with Your Goals

    February 19, 2015 - By 

    Remember back when we brainstormed about the new year? Many of you expressed you’d like a way to keep yourself accountable, so I finally came up with a printable sheet to help you with that! This printable sheet can be used for 2 weeks, just cut it half. I like that because I can easily fold it and keep it in my purse to refer back to. I keep one of these Crayola 5 Count Washable Triple Tip Markers in my purse to make the 3 different colors depending on how I feel I’m doing with these things throughout the…

  • Margarita_ChickenSQ
    Chicken - Dinner - Recipes

    Margarita Chicken

    February 18, 2015 - By 

    This Margarita Chicken Recipe is just so easy and full of flavor. Great for those busy week nights. Servings: 4 Prep Time: 1 hour (marinating time) Cooking Time: 20-30 minutes Ingredients: 4 bone-in chicken breast halves 1 can (10 oz.) thawed frozen margarita mix 2/3 cup tequila 1/2 cup fresh chopped cilantro leaves, 2 tablespoons chicken seasoning Directions: In a small bowl, mix together all ingredients except chicken. Put the chicken and marinade in a large ziplock bag. Let marinate in the refrigerator for a couple hours. Directions for Outdoor cooking: 1. Remove the chicken and allow it to sit…

  • Myakka River State Park
    Travel

    Myakka River State Park

    February 17, 2015 - By 

    On Sunday morning of our Florida tour, we got up and took Gramma and Granpa out for breakfast at Susie’s Grill. We dropped back by their house to finish gathering up all our stuff before to Fort Myers. We got a couple family shots as well. Here’s a few scenes along the way including a couple shot of the Sunshine Skyway Bridge. When we were looking for things to do between Spring Hill and Fort Myers, both Caitlyn and I suggested going to Myakka River State Park, which is one of the oldest state parks dating back to 1942 when…

  • Travel

    Weeki Wachee Springs

    February 10, 2015 - By 

    On the 2nd day of our Florida Tour 2014, we took a little break from visiting with Gramma and Granpa and went to Weeki Wachee Springs State Park, home of the Real Live Mermaids! That morning Granpa told us the story of Newton Perry and how he invented the breathing hoses that are used for the show. This is such a neat invention because they don’t have to go to the service for air during the show. There’s 1 mermaid show that they do 3 times each day. I would recommend looking at their website or calling to get show…

  • Easy! Crockpot Mashed Potatoes - save time and still be able to enjoy this favorite comfort food!
    Recipes - Sides

    Mashed Potatoes {Crockpot}

    February 8, 2015 - By 

    For the longest time, I had boycotted mashed potatoes. Even though they are one of my favorite foods, I just couldn’t seem to get them right. Then, not long ago I wondered if I could expedite a meal by cooking the potatoes in the crockpot to help save time. That’s one less component of the meal to deal with in the evening. I decided to give them a try again and I’m so glad I did. The pic above is an example of when I made the potatoes a little chunky. I usually love my mashed potatoes creamy, but these…