Yummmmmm....Texas Caviar!

Texas Caviar
1-Cup sugar
3/4-Cup apple cider vinegar
1/2-teaspoon black pepper
Mix sugar, vinegar and pepper in pan. Bring to a boil and simmer until sugar is dissolved. Set aside to cool.

1-15 oz can black eyed peas
1-15 oz can black beans
1-15 oz can white corn
1-15 oz can pinto beans
Rinse and drain all of the above.

1 each: green pepper, yellow pepper, red pepper
1 medium purple onion
1-C celery
Chop fresh vegetables.

Mix all vegetables together with the cooled liquid and chill for several hours or overnight. Serve with tortilla chips or corn chips. Also good with grilled meats; will keep for up to 6 weeks in refrigerator.

~Compliments of my awesome next door neighbor, Teri

Winner of my contest!

OK, so I'm a day or two late in choosing, but it took me a while to narrow it down to my favorite.

I chose to go with Amanda's saying, "Cherish yesterday, dream of tomorrow, live for today" as sweet, simple and to the point has always been my style.

I can see this on my wall already....however, I still don't have my room painted, so I should get on that :)

I emailed Amanda this morning to let her know that she has won, and if I don't hear back from her by Friday, I will choose the 2nd runner-up!

DIY Vinyl Lettering!

I took the plunge and decided to try out the Cricut on the vinyl...what do you think?

Giveaway- free scrapbook stuff- but you have to (sort of) work for it!

My darlin' hubby is going to start working on my scrapbook studio pretty soon, and I'm trying to come up with the perfect saying and/or decoration for the walls.

I've got a Cricut, so I'm planning on making one (or multiple) sayings to cut out of vinyl and put it up on the wall, a la Uppercase Living.

So I need some ideas!!! The person who gives me the saying I choose will win an assortment of scrapbooking supplies. (Sorry, no picture, as I don't have chosen yet what will be given out)

If it helps at all, my walls are going to be a blue-green color, with a muted lime green and dark brown as accents. A loveseat and TV are going to be in there as well, so that I can make it MY space to relax and have fun.

Please make sure I can get a hold of you easily if you win, as I don't plan to hunt you down like a crazy person :)

Contest ends November 30th!

For you Tastefully Simple beer bread lovers...I've got a much cheaper recipe!

I love Tastefully Simple Beer Bread. It's the first beer bread I'd ever tried.

After I started dating Sam, and got married, his mom passed on a recipe to me.

Beer Bread.

'No way, it can't be as good as TS's beer bread,' I though. But sure enough, I think it is!

3 cups self-rising flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 - 12 oz beer

Mix all together and pour into a greased/sprayed loaf pan. Bake 50-60 min at 350 deg. In the last 15 minutes or so, you can pour some melted butter over the top- although be careful doing this, as the sides may already be raised above the edges. You could probably put pats of butter on top of the mix just before tossing it in the oven...I'll have to try that next time.

For Z's preschool fundraiser last spring, I made several dry batches and put them in ziploc bags and then put the bag into the paper bags below. They flew off the table!!

Argh! Z's a PIRATE!

Yo ho ho, and a bottle or rum!

Ooh, he looks mean here!

We decided to dress Pope up as a Hawkeyes fan and bring him ToTing with us.
ARGH!!!! Aw, look at the cute pirate!

Let's add some more EAT to my blog.... chili recipe!

2 lbs ground meat
2 big cans tomato juice
1 can chili beans (has to have the chili “sauce”)
Dried minced onions
Worchestershire sauce
Garlic powder
Onion powder
Chili powder
Cayenne pepper
Brown sugar

Brown the meat, and when it’s about halfway cooked through, splash in about 10-15 shakes of worchestershire sauce and 10-15 shakes of the dried minced onions. Stir well, and continue browning until done. Drain off any liquid/grease. Pour in the two cans of tomato juice and the can of chili beans. Stir in really good, then add more dried onions (about 10-15 shakes), splash in 10-15 shakes of worchestershire sauce, about 5-7 shakes (each) of garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne pepper. Add about 10-12 shakes of chili powder. Stir that all up really good and let sit for about 5 minutes, on medium. Then add 7-8 spoonfuls of brown sugar and stir in really good. Let simmer for a good 15 minutes and then taste it. Add more of whatever you think it needs. I usually end up adding more brown sugar, worchestershire sauce and sometimes chili powder. It all depends on the day!

Obviously, I don’t have an exact recipe!! :)

I_Blog, do you?

My cyber-friend, Jodi, is throwing her first bloggy conference!! Iowa is moving up in the blog world, I tell ya!

The first ever I_Blog will be November 14-15, 2009 at the beautiful Hotel Pattee in Perry, Iowa.

Tickets are only $75 but space is limited. Double rooms are $99. (Need a roomie to share the cost? Check out the forums at www.iblogconference.com ).

Call 515-465-3511 to make your reservation and be sure to let them know you are with the I_Blog or iatraveler’s group.

Space is limited, and time is flying by, so call now!

PS. Recent addition to the conference.....Creative Memories has become a sponsor of the conference...which means that a scrapbooking party is in order!!! They agreed to host a digi-scrap party and dinner on Saturday night. AND, because they are so damn cool, their new Creative Memories Storybook Creator plus 3.0 will be heading home with you. It’s a very generous offer – the software is worth $65. Yeah, do the math...the conference itself is $75...get this software and really, your conference is only costing you $10. Ten bucks. And to make it even sweeter...You’ll also be getting a new sleeve for your laptop- also courtesy of Creative Memories.

So be sure to bring your laptop (PC necessary unless your Mac has a bridge), loaded with photos to play with.

My little man + cousin's wedding = ringbearer

My cousin got married this weekend and she had Scooter as her ringbearer.

Too damn cute for words.

The flowergirl, Clara.....I think Zach has a crush on her. He keeps asking to see her picture.

Congrats Jessi and Matt!!

Ah....Love Fall in Iowa!

There is nothing better than fall in Iowa.

Nothing.

The crisp air...

The smell of backyard bonfires...

The GORGEOUS leaves...

Iowa Hawkeyes football...

Sweatshirt and jeans weather... I love it all!!

It also means I become a "hunting widow".

Duck hunting for my dad, husband and son (and dog!)...

Deer hunting for dad and hubby...

In spite of that last part, because I enjoy it- because THEY enjoy it.

1st day of kindergarten

Well, the little man started kindergarten today. Mom and dad are having a pretty hard time with it. We aren't old enough to have a kindergartener!!! No way, it's just not possible.

Daddy called him over to the house one last time for a quick hug and kiss- behind the truck, so that his friends wouldn't see!! I grabbed a quick one too, and then I put him on the bus, no tears from me or him.

The little shit just got right on- didn't even look back.......

One last wave before the bus drives away...

I can't wait to see him this afternoon and hear how his first day went!!!

Operation Mama's Gettin' a New Tattoo was a success!

Here we go! Love it! It ended up being a bit bigger than what I thought, but that's okay. I had pictured something more dainty, but love what the artist did.

I so very badly want another tattoo...help me choose!

I'm gonna get me another tattoo, just can't decide which I like best! What I'm wanting is very similar to the first one- a big turtle (me), and a little one behind it (Zach). Help me choose which version to get, or something along the lines of what they look like! Obviously, my mind may change once I get to the tattoo shop and see what else they've done or if the artist has any good ideas.

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It's official...he's a "big kid"!

Scooter started school age daycare today...he moved from his preschool daycare room downstairs to the BIG KID room. There is at least one other kid from his preschool room that is going down there with him- his "girlfriend", Kacy. So that's good! And our next door neighbor, Riley, is also down there- she just finished kindergarten.

So he will have friends down there that he knows, and I'm sure he'll make friends with the older kids in no time. It was just hard to drop him off this morning in a roomful of strangers (Kacy and Riley weren't there yet).

And yes, I did get a little bit teary. Only after I left though!

When a soldier comes home...

Got this on my email, and what an eye-opener, and a great reminder to thank and appreciate those soldiers out there fighting.

When a soldier comes home, he finds it hard...

...to listen to his son whine about being bored. ...to keep a straight face when people complain about potholes.


... to be tolerant of people who complain about the hassle of getting ready for work.


...to be understanding when a co-worker complains about a bad night's sleep.

...to be silent when people pray to God for a new car.

...to control his panic when his wife tells him he needs to drive slower.

...to be compassionate when a businessman expresses a fear of flying.

...to keep from laughing when anxious parents say they're afraid to send their kids off to summer camp.

....to keep from ridiculing someone who complains about hot weather.

....to control his frustration when a colleague gripes about his coffee being cold.

....to remain calm when his daughter complains about having to walk the dog.

.....to be civil to people who complain about their jobs.

....to just walk away when someone says they only get two weeks of vacation a year.

....to be forgiving when someone says how hard it is to have a new baby in the house.

The only thing harder than being a Soldier....

...is loving one.