Friday Book Club

Last night, I was thinking about my blog and how I could make it better. I mentioned before that I LOVE to read; so, why not start a blog for every Friday on what I'm reading or want to start reading?! Brilliant idea! :)

This week I started reading:

It is the second book in the Stephanie Plum series, and I think the lead heroine is hilarious and a smart ass. Kind of like myself! Lol. There are 18 books in this series; so, I have a LONG way to go. I would love to know what you thought about this series . . if you have read it.

Have you heard of The Hunger Games? You know, it is that series and now movie that are getting A LOT of buzz here lately? Yes, I thought  you had heard of it. Well, I just can't get into the first book. So, I don't understand all this pandemonium hype about it. I'm sure once I finally do get into the series, I will be all about the characters and movie. We shall see!

Anyways, this is just my first attempt about this "Friday Book Club", and I will get better with it. I promise.

Hope everyone has a Fabulous Friday!

Katherine

P.S. - You can head over to Goodreads to check out my list of books. Enjoy!

SO WHAT! Wednesday

Today, I am linking up with Shannon over at Life After I "Dew" for SO WHAT! Wednesday. Please go check her blog out. She is quite funny! :)

This week I am saying SO WHAT! if:

• JR loves watching cartoons in the morning. Cartoons like: Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Phineas and Ferb, Special Agent Oso, Super Why!, Little Einsteins and Chuggington. ANYTHING is better than Spongebob!
• I haven't excercised in over a week. I WILL get back into the swing of it.
• I have started going back to the tanning bed. Didn't realize just how much I missed it, too.
• I didn't take a shower, yesterday. Don't worry. I took one Monday, and I will be taking one tonight.
• My hubby loves to hunt. Turkey season opened up this past Saturday, and I swear he is like a kid in a candy store during hunting seasons! Lol. That's one reason why I love him, though.
• JR is cutting some more teeth. I will be glad when the molar pops through because it is giving him diarrhea. :( Poor little guy.

What are y'all SO WHAT!ing, this week??

Have a Happy Wednesday!

Katherine

Funfetti Cookies

Hello! I am so sorry that I have not blogged in awhile; however, I am here now! :)
Yesterday, I was in the mood to bake some cookies. I found this recipe for Funfetti Cookies over at Brooke's Blog. Please go check her blog out! She talks about motherhood, makes beautiful cupcakes and isn't afraid to try new recipes.

Ingredients:

1 Funfetti cake mix
1 egg
1 ( 8 oz. ) cool whip
Powdered sugar

Directions:

1. Preheat over to 350.
2. In a medium bowl, mix the cool whip, egg and cake mix until blended. The dough will be THICK and STICKY.
3. Drop spoonfuls into a bowl of powdered sugar and roll around to coat.
4. Bake for 10 - 12 mins. until the bottom is a golden brown.


The cookies were SO GOOD! If my hubby eats FOUR . . right after dinner . . I know they must be good!

Have a Terrific Tuesday.

Katherine

Cleaning Schedule

As a stay - at - home wife and mother, I like to keep the house as clean as possible. Since JR is getting into EVERYTHING now, it's alittle harder to do. :) However, I have found many cleaning schedules on Pinterest, but this one I like.

Daily:

• Make Bed
• Manage Clutter
• Clean up / Wipe down
• Dishes
• Laundry ( As needed ) In this household, that is EVERYDAY!
• Vacuum ( As needed )
• Sort Mail
• Sweep / Mop
• Take out trash

Weekly:

Monday: Clean kitchen / dining room

Tuesday: Clean living room

Wednesday: Clean master bedroom ( This includes changing sheets )

Thursday: Guest bedroom / bath

Friday: Master bath

Weekend: REST! :)

So far, I have tried to keep to this shedule. It seems to work for this family!

Hope everyone has a wonderful 1st Day of Spring!

Katherine

White Chicken Enchiladas

I mentioned in my previous post about how I cooked a FABULOUS meal, this week. Well, here is the recipe! I found the repipe on Pinterest and pinned it awhile ago. So, when the hubby actually asked for enchiladas for supper one day this week, I knew the perfect recipe. :) I did change it up alittle, though.

Btw, for me to say that the hubby LOVED this . . would be an understatement. He told me to put this in the "Keep" file! Lol. I do love him!

Here is the recipe ( from Joyful Momma's Kitchen ):

10 soft taco shells ( I used 8 )

2 cups cooked, shredded chicken

2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese

3 Tbsp. butter

3 Tbsp. flour

2 cups chicken broth

1 cup sour cream

1 (4 oz) can diced green chillies

 

 

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9x13 pan.

2. Mix chicken and 1 cup cheese. ( I added one jar of mild Pincante sause in mixture, too ) Roll up in tortillas and place in pan.

3. In a sauce pan, melt butter, stir in flour and cook 1 minute. Add broth and whisk until smooth. Heat over medium heat until thick and bubbly.

4. Stir in sour cream and chilies. Do NOT bring to boil, you don't want curdled sour cream.

5. Pour over enchiladas and top with remaining cheese.

6. Bake 22 min and then under high broil for 3 min to brown the cheese.

ENJOY!

Have a Great Friday and don't forget to wear green tomorrow for St. Patrick's Day!

Katherine

Mama's little helper.

SO WHAT! Wednesday

Today, I am linking up with Shannon over at Life After I "Dew" for SO WHAT! Wednesday. Please go check her blog out! :)

This week, I am saying SO WHAT! to:

• Fixing a FABULOUS dinner one night; then, not really being in the mood to cook another night.
• Btw, I'm not one to brag, but my hubby probably complimented me more on that one dinner than he has on any other our WHOLE marriage. :)
• For my Medical Assisting diploma, we have to recertify EVERY year.
• Cold weather. This warmer weather has me ready for Spring / Summer!
• To keeping my house spotless. I used to keep it spotless; however, now that JR is getting into EVERYTHING . . it's pointless till he goes to sleep.
• Certain people. My life changed so much when JR was born, and I have decided that I do NOT want any negativity around him. His happiness is now my life's goal.

What are y'all SO WHAT!ing today??

Have a Wonderful Wednesday!

Katherine

M.I.A.

I will probably be M.I.A for a few days, this week. I have to do somethings for my schooling before May, and this is the time to do it. :)

Hope everyone has a great week! Talk to you soon!

Katherine

Birthday Party

A week ago today, our son turned a year old. It's still crazy to say! On that note, it is only appropriate to post pictures from his birthday party.

Let me first start off saying that Friday, it rained all day, and we got some bad thunderstorms later on that night and into early Saturday morning. Where was I Friday night? Glued to the tv watching The Weather Channel praying  cursing that it couldn't rain on the day of his first birthday party! Well, it wasn't exactly raining come time for his party; however, it was still really wet outside from the previous day. Oh well. Plans change.

JR's theme for his party was Barnyard Fun. He loves animals! Especially cows. So, how appropriate was that! I ordered the theme from Birthday Express , and I was VERY impressed with them . . that I will be using them for future birthdays.

About his cake, I saw a barnyard cake on Pinterest that I fell in love with, and i just knew that I wanted that for JR. So, my hubby told me about this bakery, A Piece of Cake , and we used them to make the cake. The cake wasn't exactly like the picture, but everyone liked it. That's all that matters! Plus, JR loved his little "Smash Cake", too. :) Here are some pictures of the cake:

Please excuse the formula in the back, but I DO have a growing boy to feed!



JR's Smash Cake

Even though it was messy out, we had a good turnout, and I am thankful to everyone who came to share in our son's special day! :) Enjoy the pictures.

Digging into his cake!

Just some of the food we had.

Presents!

Welcome sign.

Our sweet boy isn't a baby anymore. I love him more than life itself!

Hope everyone has a Fabulous Friday!

Katherine 





Chicken, Mushroom, Broccoli and Rice Casserole

                                           
                                                               Courtesy of For the Love of Cooking

As promised, here is that recipe that I was telling you about. First of all . . just let me say . . that I love looking up new recipes to cook, and most of them come from food blogs. That being said, I found a new food blog that I fell in LOVE with! Pam over at For the Love of Cooking has A LOT of yummy looking recipes! Go on over to check her out!

Anyways, I was in the mood for a good, hearty casserole Monday night because it was quite windy here where I live. This one fit the bill! I did modify it alittle because we ( My hubby and I ) do not really care for mushrooms; so, instead of actual mushrooms and the cream of celery soup . . I used cream of mushroom soup. I think it worked! :) This one will be going into my "Keep" recipes for sure! Enjoy.

Ingredients:

1 tbsp olive oil

1/2 onion

1 lb mushrooms quartered

1 stalk of celery diced

1 box of Farmhouse Long Grain & Wild Rice (or your favorite brand), prepared per instructions

2 cooked chicken breasts, cubed (I use left over roasted chicken meat)

1 6-8 oz can of sliced water chestnuts, diced

1 cup of broccoli florets

1 10 3/4 oz can of Cream of Chicken soup

1 10 3/4 oz can of Cream of Celery soup

1/4 cup light mayonnaise

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare rice per instructions. In a heated pan add 1/2 tbsp oil and cook mushrooms until golden brown – remove from pan. Add the other 1/2 tbsp of oil to the pan and cook onions and celery until soft. Using a steamer, steam broccoli until just fork tender, then cool. In a large bowl, combine all ingredients and mix well.
Put into a baking dish and hear uncovered for 30 mins. Let cool for a few mins prior to serving.


Have a great day!

Katherine

SO WHAT! Wednesday

Since I am still new to the blogging world, I have been browsing (stalking) some other blogs to get a better understanding on how to blog. I have come to LOVE Life After I "Dew" ! She is VERY down - to - earth, and that it why I love her blog so much. As I was stalking  browsing her blog, I discovered something neat that she does every Wednesday. It's called SO WHAT! Wednesday. Pretty much. . it's a way to say "So what?!" to things that might be going on in your life, right now. Love the idea! Here is my first attempt at it. :)

This week I am saying SO WHAT! to:

• If JR doesn't make it out of his pajamas some days.
• That on more that ONE occasion, my phone will go missing during the day.
• If JR decides to take two naps one day; then only one nap the next day.
• If I can't go to the bathroom without someone following me! 
• That I paint my toenails a pretty color because I pick bite my fingernails!
• I love my mornings with JR! We watch cartoons . . while drinking my coffee. What could be better?!
• To letting my son play in the dirt. At first, I was like, "No! He will get worms!", but my hubby told me that he is a boy . . and that's what boys do! :)
• For breakfast, I usually only have coffee.
• If the laundry doesn't get folded. I'm sure it will still be there tomorrow.
• Some days are better than others.

I DO believe I will be making this a tradition!

Have a Happy Wednesday!


Katherine

P.S. - Tomorrow, I will be posting a new recipe that I tried on Monday night. It was Yummy! :)

Oh, to have a toddler now.

Our son, JR, turned a year old on March 2nd. It's still hard to imagine that he isn't a baby anymore, but that he is a TODDLER. Since he is running around and getting into everything, it wasn't a surprise that I found his monkey in the washer, this weekend. I couldn't help but laugh! First, I grabbed my camera, though. :)

P.S. - Please excuse the stuff on my washer, but with people coming over to our house for the party . . things got put away in the laundry room. Ha.
P.S.S - I will post pictures from the party later!

Hope y'all have a Terrific Tuesday!

Katherine