Merry Christmas!

With each year's end you begin to reflect on the year you are leaving behind and with each year's new beginning you begin to make goals and resolutions for the new year to come.  In 2015, I resolve to be the best mother I can be!!!  Trevor and I are expecting our first child!!  We look forward to our new bundle of joy to come July 13th, 2015!!

I am excited for this new journey in life and look forward to all the trails and joys that it will bring. 

Thirty One Flavors

I have somehow found that I enjoy surprising people more than I like to be surprised.  Then again I have my ways of figuring things out, so I'm not sure of the last time I was truly surprised.  My favorite person to surprise is my husband.  I think it's becuase I know that man better then he knows himself so I tend to know what to get him that will give him a surprise. So with this birthday approaching this year here I am again with another surprise present.

His birthday this year falls on Thanksgiving so instead of giving him his gift on Thanksgiving I gave it to him a few days earlier to help him feel the seperation between the two holidays.  After last years "Thirty Favorite Things" birthday I had to top myself.  How does one top thirty presents? Give him thirty one!!!

 

Excuse the mess that is a kitchen remodel, and the
Halloween decorations that are still up in the middle of November!

Well I kind of gave him thirty one presents! He got a new Yeti cooler filled with Baskin Robbins 31 Flavors.  He has been enjoying eating a new ice cream flavor every night, and he was even sweet enough to give me my favorite Baskin Robbins flavor, Rainbow Sherbert.  I'm going to have to call this surprise a SUCCESS!

 

 

10 Best Halloween Movies

In honor of Halloween...

For those who love horror, suspense and creepiness you are bound to love my list of my favorite, and in my opinion the best Halloween movies.  They range from old favorite classics, to comedy, and even chick flicks.  In no particular order the 10 Best Halloween movies are...

PRACTICAL MAGIC

Not a big box office hit, but that's not what the movie is about.  It's about a shabby chic house, midnight margaritas, and sisterly love...Ahhh!

THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASACRE

Terrifying! At least it was for me believeing that this movie happened only 15 minutes from my house! Fast forward ten years to find out that it was filmed 15 minutes from my house.  Now the movie is a little less terriying, but it still has the low budget documentary style which still creeps me out.

THE ADDAMS FAMILY

There is something gorgeous about a decaying manor, velvet smoking jackets, and floor sweeping gowns.  Plus this movie has some great one-liners in it.

THE EXORCIST

From my sheet covered eyes this was the scariest movie ever...when I was six!  The remarkable special effects and the eerie atmosphere of this film still make it one the scariest movies ever.

THE SHINING

There's nothing creepier than twins that dress alike and talk at the same time.  There's nothing creepier than a haunted hotel. There's nothing creepier than Jack Nicholson's "Here's Johnny" smile. There's nothing creepier than this movie. Period.

YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN

Oh, Mel Brooks how I love you! Gene Wilder's hysteria is perfectly natural in this spoof, which is somehow perfectly disturbing. 

THE BIRDS

No one does suspense better than Alfred Hitchcock.  Even with modern techonology and CGI, this black and white film is still scary.

ROSEMARY'S BABY

How can pregnancy be disturbing?  Easily answered when you are carrying Satan's offspring! Side note: Mia Farrow's hair is awesome!

ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW

Love it or Hate it: Halloween wouldn't be the same without it. Sing to me Lips!

NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET

Wes Cravens intellegent premise, combined with horrifying Freedy Krueger still causes nightmare to this day.  Plus who doesn't love a good stripped sweater and hat, stylish!

Reese Witherspoon

Let me preface by saying that I am no fashion blogger or by no means a style expert.  With that said, lately Reese Witherspoon has been making me fall in love with her all over again!  Not only is she a great actress and a true southern girl, but her style is a breath of fresh air that has stolen my heart.

1. Modesty is always beautiful. Modesty isn't about hiding your body, it's about revealing your dignity. Her clothes express that she has a sense of pride and respects herself.

 

2. Fun, Flirty & Feminie. Her style is able to speak for her and tell the world who see is; fun, flirty and feminie

 

3. SEXY. Life is too short to wear boring clothes; she make heads turn and she stops them in their tracks!

 

 

4. Everyone has a bombshell whithin them.  Sometimes she just needs a little enticing to come out and when she does, she blows everyone away.  As Reese does in this bombshell dress!

 

 

5. Sophistication in dress form. By all other names Reese is very chic in all attire she wears.

 

 

6. Wear what works.  When you are able to find what works for you and your body rock it.  And Reese rocks it in every A-line dress and skirt she wears.

 

 

7. Emrabce Prints. And she does, she knows which prints work best for her body type and works it everytime she wears them. She is not scared of a good print.

 

 

 

Reese Witherspoon is one of a few of my style inspirations. Stay beautiful Reese!

 









Kitchen Chronicles: Inspiration

What is that saying that's on a Someecard somewhere..."Pinterest, it's what I do when my husband is watching Hockey!"  With there being an average of 5 hockey games a week watched in my household, I have a lot of Pinterest time.  With all the beautiful kitchen inspirations on Pinterest and blogs, I have come up with my own Kitchen inspiration that will suit our house perfectly.

 

 

Here are some of the images I took a lot of inspiration from.

 

Source

 

Source

 

Source

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kitchen Chronicles: The Begining

With six weeks until we host Thanksgiving at our house I should be creating a menu, shopping for centerpieces, and starting to invite friends and family. That is the rational Amanda talking; instead we have decided to tear apart our kitchen for a kitchen "facelift."

Since moving into our 1991 house a year and a half ago, we always knew that we were going to remodel our kitchen.  It will probably be another 10 years or so before we take on the full remodel, so we planned to give the kitchen a facelift until then.  I have been putting this job off for a while now due to the size of our kitchen and what I want to do.  The problem lies within painting all 28 oak cabinets, inside and out!  Doesn't that sound like fun?!?!? So this weekend we made the first move...sanding!

 

Which then turned into priming last night. Well one side at least.

 

 

Since this is the beginning of my Kitchen Chronicles a picture to reminisce over. Oh terra cotta floors, how I DON"T miss you!

 

 

On to more priming tonight...

 

 

 

 

 

Tuscan Pasta

If you are a lovers of all things Italian and all things meat, you are bound to love my Tuscan Pasta.  This is by far my most asked for recipe and that's because it is the most delicious Italian dish ever...yes, I did just go there!

 

INGREDIENTS

1 lb. Bowtie Pasta

1 lb. Italian Roll Breakfast Sausage

1/4 lb. Canadian Bacon

1/4 lb. Pepperoni

6 Strips Breakfast Bacon

1 jar Tomato/Alfredo Sauce

Parmesan Cheese to top

 

INSTRUCTIONS

 

Bring a pot of water to a boil.  Once the water is boiling cook the Bowtie Pasta until pasta is cooked.

 

While the pasta is cooking begin to brown Italian Sausage on the stove top in a medium sized skillet.  Chop the Canadian Bacon and Pepperoni into small squares.  Add the Canadian Bacon and the Pepperoni to the sausage to cook for 3-4 minutes.  Once the sausage, pepperoni, and Canadian bacon are all cooked, drain excess grease.

 

Cook the Breakfast bacon your personal desired way to an extra crispy consistency.  Chop the bacon once cooked and add to the meat mixture.

 

Drain the cooked pasta and return to the pot in which it was cooked.  Add the four meat mixture and the Tomato/Alfredo sauce to the pasta and stir to mix ingredients.

 

Top with desired amount of parmesan cheese. Serves 5-6.

 

Enjoy!

 

 

Santa Fe Chicken

Ten years...that's how long this meal has been a staple in our household.  My friend Stefanie first made it for us when she invited us over for dinner years ago.  She and her mother at the time were doing Weight Watchers and this was a great meal to make that produced many left overs.  I love being able to make recipes my own and this one is really easy to add or subtract ingredients from to make it your own. 

 

INGREDIENTS

2 lbs. Seasoned Fajita Chicken

2 1/2 cups Brown Rice

3 cups Chicken Broth

1 can Diced Tomatoes (un-drained)

1 bundle Green Onion

1 Red Bell Pepper

1 Jalapeno Pepper (with or w/o seeds depends on desired spiciness)

2 tbsp. Paprika

Cheddar Cheese to top

 

*In the above pictures I included 1 can Sweet Corn (un-drained) and 1 can Black Beans (un-drained)

 

INSTRUCTIONS

Cut the uncooked Fajita Chicken into small diced cuts.  Cutting them in one inch cubes works best for the desired bite-sized consistency.  Begin browning the chicken on the stove top in a large skillet or Dutch oven.

 

Chop the Bell Pepper, Onion and Jalapeno.  Add the chopped vegetables to the skillet 5 minutes before chicken is fully browned.  Once chicken is browned and vegetables are soft drain the grease.

 

Add the rice, broth, and tomatoes to mixtures.  This is also when I added the corn and black beans (if desired) Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer.  Simmer for 30-40 minutes or until rice is cooked. Stir in paprika once cooked and top with cheese.

 

This is a great meal by itself or turned into tacos.  Serves 4-6 and makes great left overs!

 

Enjoy!

 

Linked to: LizMaireBlog

 

 

 

Perfect Weekend

 

Sleeping In

Football

Closet Organization

Turkey Burgers & Home Fries

 

 

Breakfast in Bed

Thrifting

Home Improvement Projects & Decorating

More Football

Hiking with the Hounds

Crock Pot Chicken

Hot Tub

 

Makes me crave this coming weekend to see if it will be this perfect again.

 

 

 

 

 



How Lucky Are We...

 

 

Eaten fresh out of the oven flan in Zihuatenejo, Mexico

Seen the sunset on Mexican beaches

Visited with Queen Elizabeth I in Westminster Abbey

Watched the guards change to Abba's Dancing Queen at Buckingham Palace

Minded the Gap

Got beheaded on Tower Green (not actually)

Walked across Tower Bridge

Got lost on the way to The Globe Theater

Stonehenge...what else is there to say

Felt like a character in a Jane Austen novel in Bathe

Contemplated diving off a cliff in Dover

Ate brownies in Amsterdam

Looked at Red Lights in Amsterdam

Stole of piece of the Eifel Tower

Didn't wait in line at the Louvre

Seen the real life Moulin Rouge

Walked the gardens of Versailles

Escaped the rain to eat the best Crème Brule in Paris 

Went to Costa Rica with only a ticket and a backpack

Seen the Arenal volcano erupt

Relaxed in a hot spring in the jungle

Rode horses above the clouds in Monteverde

White water rafted Costa Rica waters

Zip lined through a Costa Rica jungle

Learned to speak Howler Monkey (sounds quite similar to whale, I also speak whale)

Ate escargot in Quebec

Watched the leaves change in Old Quebec

Rode bikes around English Bay in Vancouver

Smoked a Cuban in Whistler

Woke up in PARADISE (Trinidad and Tobago) 9 times

Skinny dipped in Englishman's Bay

Turned 29 in T&T

Saw Leatherback turtles nest on Turtle Beach

Drove on the wrong side of the road in Tobago

 

I feel very privileged to be able to say in my twenties I was able to visit and experience six different countries.  I want to continue traveling and visit many more, only 189 to go! 

Potato Leek Soup

I think I am starting to crave Fall more than the average person.  It's Texas and still ninety degrees outside and yet here I am making soup for dinner.  Then again Texas doesn't really have Fall; it's the little things like making this soup that help make it feel like Fall.

INGREDIENTS

3 Leeks

1 White Onion

4 tbsp. Butter

2 lbs. Russet Potatoes (5-6 medium sized)

9 cups Vegetable Broth

3 Garlic Cloves

2 Bay Leaves

2 tbsp. Cooking Wine

Salt and Pepper to taste

1 cup Heavy Whipping Cream

INSTRUCTIONS

Cut the leeks in half lengthwise and thoroughly wash each half under cold water.  Make sure to pull apart the layers to remove any dirt and grit inside each layer.

Chop the leeks, dice the onion, and mince the garlic.  Melt the butter over medium heat in a large soup pot.  Add the leeks, onion, and garlic and cook, stirring regularly until soft and wilted, approximately 10 minutes.

Cut potatoes into 1 inch cubes, this will make blending easier. Add the potatoes, broth, bay leaves, cooking wine, salt and pepper to the pot and bring to a boil.  Cover and reduce the heat on low to simmer for 15 minutes or until the potatoes are soft.

Remove the bay leaves from the pot, then puree the soup with an immersion blender until smooth.  Add the heavy cream and bring to a simmer.  Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.  Garnish with fresh herbs, chives, cheese, and/or bacon and serve. 

Enjoy!

 

Linked to: LizMarieBlog

All Dressed Up

Who doesn't love to get all dressed up?  Slip on a cute little skirt, put on your high heels, and top it off with a tiara!  However, the fairy wings and the boa are what really make the outfit come to life.  As my niece is approaching the "pretty, pretty princess" stage I made her a special present that every kid her age would adore, a dress up chest.

It took some time and many stores to finally find the perfect chest, not only in size but to coordinate with her bedroom as well.  Since it's near impossible to get all dolled up without a mirror I added one to the lid.  Then with some pink metallic puffy paint a little flair was added to get "all dressed up." 

 

I can't wait to dress up and get glamorous with her now!

 

 

 

'Tis the Season

October can't come fast enough!

 

 

The Amanda Trip

I have come to the decision that your best road trip partner by far is your best friend.  With that said, The Amanda's conquered New Orleans and Destin this year!

Jamming to Neil Diamond's Sweet Caroline and Boston's Amanda, The Amanda's (my best friend, Amanda and I) made our way to Destin, Florida.  With no better pit stop, we stayed one day and one night in NOLA.

 

We had to have a snack at Café Du Monde for their glorious beignets.

 

Score! Found apart of mine and Trevor's Halloween costume...Hipster glasses!

 

And at Pat O'Brien's the night began....

 

 

After the NOLA Ant Pile Incident (no comment) we started the next day out to Destin. Not only was this a road trip with my best friend, it was also a trip to visit my cousin in Pensacola.  I have decided that having a cousin the lives 20 minutes from Destin is the best thing EVER!  

 

 

We spent one day in Pensacola on the beach and on a boat (with our flippy floppies) and the next day we spent in Destin.

 

 

Hey B...it's 3:44pm and OU Still SUCKS!!!!!

 

Onto my next Girl-Cation adventure...