Stuffed Bell Peppers

So I am finally living in Dallas with my hubby which is how it should be. Leaving Abilene was really hard for both of us, especially saying goodbye to our sweet little house, but new things are ahead and we are embracing it...sort of. But eventually everything will fall into place and it will feel like home. We have already found a little pizza joint that is to die for so no matter what, are bellies will be full.
So since I dont have a job yet Ive been working hard at cooking. I have been trying new recipes and of course, I must share the easy ones because they are the only ones people repeat. So, here is a healthy, yummy choice that got Justin's stamp of approval.

Stuffed Bell Peppers
Ingredients
1 cup cooked rice, tomato sauce-watered down, salt and pepper, green bell peppers (how ever many you want), 1 lb of meat, shredded chease

Directions
1. Cut out centers of bell peppers and dump out seeds
2. Parboil bell peppers until pretty tender (place them in boiling water, rotate to get all sides) and then drain
3.Cook your meat in a skillet (smoked sausage works well), add onions for flavor if desired
4. Once rice and meat are finished combine and spoon a layer into the bell peppers, then pour a little of the watered down tomato sauce, then a little shredded cheese....repeat until bell peppers are full
5. Place stuffed bell peppers into a greased baking dish and bake at 375 until bell peppers are very tender, basting each with leftover tomato sauce

Hope you enjoy, we sure did!

Pies and Paints

This past weekend was the Fry fishing trip when all the Fry men (my mom's side) go fishing for catfish for our annual family fish fry we have every summer. This trip leaves us women folk all alone so me and mom and my aunt Kerry went to Marble Falls to hang out with Memaw and learn how to make her yummy chocolate cream pie and lemon pie. We also decided to pamper ourselves and got our toes done! What a wonderful way to acknowledge Mother's Day by spending it with generations of mommys!

 

We enjoyed ourselves, especially when it was time to taste our treats. And although the boys weren't catching much on pole on their little adventure, they got plenty of fish using jug lines so there will be plenty for the Fry fish fry. 

Justin is coming in tomorrow (YAY!) and we are making the final move this weekend. It is all becoming so real, its a little frightening. I have my last day of school tomorrow and just finished my last shift at the restaurant which was, I wont lie, a little sad. But boy am I ready to be in the same city with my man! He is a terrific husband and I am truly blessed to have someone so wonderful to go through all of this new stuff with. Just look at that hunk!

In Times Like These

I went to visit Justin this Easter weekend and it we had so much fun. We had our first experience at Billy Bob's in Ft. Worth at the Luke Bryan concert, we hung out with an old (and new :)) friend for dinner, visited a church near our house, dyed eggs, and watched a movie! Its in times like these that I am reminded how blessed I am. I might not have a job lined up or have a lot of money but I am blessed.

Looking over at my sweet husband during Luke Bryan's song "We Rode in Trucks" while driving in his truck on a date...its in times like these.

Hearing Justin's bass voice ring out during "Up From the Grave He Arose" on Sunday...its in times like these.

When my parents call me 100 times to remind me that there is a storm coming...its in times like these.

Knowing I can call my friends any time even if we havent talked in awhile...its in times like these.

Finishing a project and feeling success in something...its in times like these.

It's in times like these I know I am blessed. I still have much packing to do, am in charge of being the MC at our field day, have 2 quilting projects to finish, and still need to find a job. I will be one busy girl for the next few weeks. But at least I finished (just have the binding left) on a quilt I started last year. Here are some pics of my first quilt, my most recent one (me and Mandi are holding it), and me and Justin's egg adventures. Enjoy!

Easy Chicken Pot Pie

So I thought the next time I would blog I would have all my sewing projects finished and ready to show off. That is not the case. So, I've decided to share a recipe that Justin and I find very tasty, healthy, and easy! I made it for my parents this weekend when they came in town to help me and Justin move our washer/dryer, grill, etc to storage at their house in Austin.

This recipe, I admit, would be good with a bit more seasoning than we use but we like that veggie taste, so spice it up however you like!

Chicken Pot Pie Ingredients 
1 bag of frozen veggies (we use the medium sized bag with carrots, corn, green beans, peas)
1 can cream of chicken
1 package of biscuit mix- roughly 5x7 in. bag(we use Pioneer Brand pancake/baking mix-small pkg that makes like 8 pancakes)
1 cup milk
1 or 2 cans chicken breasts
1/2 cup chicken broth (Ive made it with and without broth)
1/2 stick butter or margarine (optional)


Instructions:
1. Mix biscuit mix and milk in bowl- set aside
2. Pour veggies and chicken into a 7x11 oven-safe dish- stir around
3. (Pour broth over veggies- optional) Pour cream of chicken over veggies (dont stir in, just spread all over top)
4. Sprinkle seasoning (salt, pepper, Dash, etc) over soup
5. Pour biscuit mix over the dish, spreading all over using the back of a spoon
6. BAKE for 30-45 minutes at 350 degrees or until biscuit topping is cooked through when poked with a fork

ENJOY!!

Words from the past

When I got home from work tonight I started packing up a little and getting a few boxes ready for Justin to take back to Dallas when he goes back after this weekend. While I was going through a huge stack f papers I came across 3 opened manilla envelopes addressed to me. I immediately recognized them from our high school youth group retreats. Every year at retreat (usually around January) our youth minister, Rick, would ask us to write a letter to ourselves/God, and then to 3 people at the retreat. The letters were supposed to be encouraging words or tell something you admired about that person. We would then seal them up and turn them in and he would gather all the letters that had been written to you and mail them after like 8 months. By then you forget you ever wrote any letters so when they come its like Christmas day. Anyway, I had 3 years worth of letters and I started to go through them year by year. Some of them were sweet, some casual, some even brought tears to my eyes. Some brought up happy times and some reminded me of some very painful times. But what made me so happy and emotional was to remind myself that others see good in me. That is something that sometimes comes difficult for me, to believe the good that others have to say about me. After reading I thought, "do they really see all that?", or, "what made me stand out to them?" And an even harder question, "What would people see in me now?"

What a beautiful reminder to be an example of God's love to the people I am not even aware are watching me. Even in my most immature days, when I thought no one was watching, when I didnt make the bet decisions, God used me to bless someone's day or perhaps someone's life. And I for sure was blessed by many in that group along the way...thank God for the experiences in the Westover youth group.

Sewing fun and a family update

Alright, so its no secret that I am not the most domestic woman out there. However, I want to improve in that area and am doing so by trying to learn to sew. I can sew a straight line, no problem. That sums up piecing together a quilt top. But the question now is, can I make a simple skirt that looks any good? I found a blogspot that I have enjoyed reading called freshlypicked.blogspot.com and I encourgae you to check it out. This lady is super crafty but her stuff looks very professional too. I made the skirt from her 'elastic skirt, mama edition' tutorial and it turned out just the way it was supposed to but it was VERY unflattering on me...even though it looked darling on her in the picture. SO, with that experiment in the works, it got me very motivated to try and really sew a skirt worth wearing. I will post my progress and I would love it if any of you had any suggestions/patterns/tips/easy-to-sew ideas. Ill be back, hopefully with a finished product!

Update on the family:
Just a quick update on my family...my dad just went in for an angiogram where they shoot dye into his heart area and find any blockages. He had 2 stints put in and it went smoothly. They are going to go in a little later to check on another area but thank the Lord they could fix the problem happening now. My mom was lucky to have her sister, my aunt Kerry, come down and hang out in the hospital with her. She said dad had many visitors, mostly of which was family. We are so blessed and God is so good.

Justin is finishing up training at his new job and will start next week on the phones by himself. He seems to be adjusted to the Dallas area and says there are many new food joints we will have to try. I love finding new places that are unique to the area. We got a little apartment there so me and Dixie dog are going to come visit this coming weekend and stay awhile (its my Spring Break). I have an interview on Tuesday and am very eager to see what the potential job could entail. Prayers for peace regarding finding a job would be greatly appreciated. Even if it doesnt work out in my favor, it gives me hope that there might be a place out there for me in the job world. God will use me wherever I end up. Alright...Ill be back with more in a bit!

It baffles me

Being considered an adult is a tricky thing. Starting in junior high, then high school, and then later in college we are told what will be expected of us when we are an adult. We are told that we will be expected to be professional, respectful, responsible, and even admirable. We are told that all of these qualities will help us survive in the dreaded 'real world' and that we, at that moment, have no idea what that really entails. I have been in the 'real world' for about 2, 2 1/2, years now and am convinced that all of that was a load of melarky. I shouldnt say all of it was garbage, the part about what is expected of us seems to ring true. But the part I cant seem to place my finger on is why all those traits are expected when those are not the qualities you encounter when stepping foot into the 'real world'. I am amazed at the way the so called adults around me pretend they exemplify those 'adult qualities' when their behavior is, quite frankly, childish. And by childish I mean like an ornery five year old as well as a pre-teen who hasnt developed that content-censor.  Its almost as if having the adult status disquises childish behavior, as if such behavior is justified because of a greater knowledge of a situation. Of course these situations, according to 'adults', could never be understood by the tiny mind of a high school or college student. That was sarcasm if you didnt catch it.

I might be rambling so let me back up. I met my husband when I was 12 and knew I wanted to marry him when I was 17. The only older people around me that took that relationship seriously were our parents and youth ministers (a teacher or two are included in this group). Many other older people straight out told us we were too young to know anything. An article was printed up in our school newspaper by a teacher further proclaiming this. I think these types of instances separate the real adults from the so-called-adults. Which by the way my brother and his wife, my sister-in-laws brother and his wife, my best friend and her husband, and many couples before our graduating class found each other at 17 or younger and are living happily ever after. Kiss that so-called-adults.

Ive been a waitress for almost 3 years and have learned more about people than I ever thought possible. I have encountered these real adults and the so-called-adults when they come in to dine at my restaurant. Some of the worst customers I have ever served were dressed in suits on business lunches/dinners. Let me state that not all business people that come in act childish but generally speaking, you can call it when they walk through the door. They snap at you, use condescending tones with phrases like, "Ummm, yyeeeaaaa, you forgot my straw", or "uuummmm ma'am...ma'am, arent you gunna get our food" as if I can make the food cook faster. They answer their cell phone while you're in midsentence answering one of their questions. These are the people that educate us young stupid people that we are to be professional, respectful, responsible, and admirable. And just for future reference, almost all of the servers I work with have a degree, are working on a masters, or are in the middle of the bachelor's degree. We are not stupid because just because we aren't too arrogant to work a job like this. Just letting you know...all of you so-called-adults.

All of this to say, be an adult you so-called-adults. Stop acting like you're professional, respectful, responsible, or admirable just because of your position in life. A position doesn't make you an adult. Age doesn't make you an adult either for that matter.

It all just baffles me.