Wow...

When I put Isaac in his car seat today i realized just how big he's getting!

Happy 100th Birthday Boy Scouts of America!

Tonight, Jordan's Cub Scout Pack held their annual Blue and Gold Banquet.  The purpose of the banquet is to gather and celebrate the birthday of scouting and to give out yearly awards.  This year marks a very special year in scouting.  The Boy Scouts of America organization turns 100 years old this year. To celebrate this, the theme of our banquet was a birthday party for the BSA.  Myself and a few other parents organized the event.  I am not going to say it was easy to put everything together, but it was fun and well worth every minute of the work.  We had so much fun!!! Here are a few pictures I took.  I wish I had taken more but we got a lot of video that I will post a bit of later.

The colors were Red, White, and Blue!



Our Tiger and Wolves made these boxes out of 100 craft sticks.



Jordan said his favorite part of the night was getting to hit the Pinata's!!  We had 2 of them and the kids had a blasts hitting them.  Not to mention the tons of candy that came out of them. (Well, we actually threw a lot of candy because we couldn't get enough in the Pinatas)



We ordered 36 Pizzas and a full sheet of cake! (We were planning on 90 people and had very close to that show up!)



What a great night! I am proud to be the leader of 11 young TIger and Wolf Scouts.  I have an amazing group of adults that help me every week and I don't see being the leader as work.  I have so much fun doing it!!  Seeing Jordan and all his friends smile and grow into outstanding young men makes all the hard work worth it!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BSA!!

This Blows....

My friend Brooke gave me the name for this blog.  We are preparing for our Cub Scout Blue and Gold Banquet.  The theme is Happy 100th Birthday BSA and we needed to blow up a lot of freakin' balloons to make our table decorations.  We had fun...but being as my allergies are bad, I got a bit dizzy!!

Thanks Brooke for all your help tonight!!!

Chubby Cheeks

Don't you just want to pinch them!!

It is so important

to VOTE!  It is not only our right as Americans but our dury.  Anytime there is an election we should be proud to go and let our voice be heard.  Its part of what makes America great.  Today, Chris and I went and voted in the Texas Republican Primary.  I am looking forward to the November election and true change taking pleace in this county!  Ohh and one more thing.  If you do not vote, I don't want to hear you complaining about what's gong on.  You should have voted, thats how our voices are heard!



And just for the record, I did not use my cell phone "IN" the polling place.  I used it right outside to take this picture. HA!

Monkey Boy

Dad and Son, fun with Legos

Rainbows

While out shopping today with my friend Brooke we had a cool experience. First off, it starting POURING down rain, but the sun was out....So i said, "Brooke, there has to be a rainbow". Just after I said that we saw it. It was right in front of us. A very small rainbow and not very bright, but it was there. The cool part was that we drove through it. It was so small we could see both ends (unfortunately there was no gold at either end, we looked). I hurried to grab my camera out of the diaper bag and snapped a few shots. If you look close you can see it! It was one of those things that you just have to be there for. It was a cool experience and one I have never had. It reminds me of how amazing God is and how beautiful his creations are!

Deep Fried Goodness

For several years now, I have been frying all my food in a skillet.  This works fine, but it is hard to get the oil to the right temperature and to maintain that temperature, not to mention it's MESSY.  While at Wal-Mart the other day we decided that we might as well spend $25 and get a fryer.  Its not big, but its better than nothing!  To try it out, we made some french fries to go with our grilled hamburgers.  Its works great!

Wii Fun!

On our new TV!

The best "bappy"

Isaac has many pacifiers (babby) but we have find only one kind that he can really use. Most are way to big and he either can't keep them in his mouth or he chokes on them. But the Soothies are the BEST! If you have a newborn you need to grab a few of them. I bought some today and they were about $3.50 for two. It's well worth it.

New Kitchen Gadget

I am slowly getting things that my kitchen is lacking. The other day when I made the Chicken Fried Steak, I realized that I needed a better way to prepare garlic. I had used garlic in the gravy and had minced it by hand with a knife. This left some pretty large peaces in the gravy. NOT COOL!

So the next time we went to Wal-Mart, I got this



I know its not much but I believe a garlic press is a must for any kitchen. I think this one cost me $6.99.  It was one of the cheaper ones and I hope to get a better one later.

I would recommend you get a press that will do more than one clove at a time, it might cost you more but it would save a lot of time in the kitchen.

Check out Carrie's Kitchen to see how I put this nifty tool to use!

Every Mother Needs.....

THIS PRODUCT!

Why you ask?

It might just be one of the best baby products ever invented, thats why!

Isaac is now 2 months old and still likes to wake up to eat every hour and a half to two hours.  When he gets a bath with the Johnson's Bedtime Bath soap and then gets covered in the bedtimie bath lotion he sleeps for about four and a half to five hours! Yes, you heard me right. He sleeps for a full 3 hours longer. The lotion bottle says on the front that it's "Clinically proven to help babies sleep better" and they aren't lying.  Not to mention it smells amazing.  If you are a mom of a baby who still does not sleep through the night I recommend you giving this line of products a try at their next bath.

When Isaac gets older and stops using this lotion, I am going to have to make a candle that smells just like it, I believe it has become my favorite scent.  It reminds me of both of my beautiful boys!

I wonder if it helps adults sleep better too? Hmmm

A Man's Grill

I received this in email and thought it was blog worthy.  I hope this makes you smile!

A Man's Grill

Now this is a BBQ guaranteed to get everyone's attention.....
I think it should be towed with the barrel facing backwards....
then you wouldn't have to worry about anyone tailgating you....
I don't know but my guess is the owner is from Texas!!!!!!

BBQ RULES
We are about to enter the BBQ season. Therefore it is important to refresh

your memory on the etiquette of this sublime outdoor cooking activity.

When a man volunteers to do the BBQ the following chain of events are put

into motion:

Routine...
(1) The woman buys the food.
(2) The woman makes the salad, prepares the vegetables, and makes dessert.
(3) The woman prepares the meat for cooking, places it on a tray along with the necessary cooking utensils and sauces, and takes it to the man who is lounging beside the grill - beer in hand.
(4) The woman remains outside the compulsory three meter exclusion zone where the exuberance of testosterone and other manly bonding activities can take place without the interference of the woman.

Here comes the important part:
(5) THE MAN PLACES THE MEAT ON THE GRILL.

More routine...
(6) The woman goes inside to organize the plates and cutlery.
(7) The woman comes out to tell the man that the meat is looking great. He thanks her and asks if she will bring another beer while he flips the meat

Important again:
(8) THE MAN TAKES THE MEAT OFF THE GRILL AND HANDS IT TO THE WOMAN.

More routine...
(9) The woman prepares the plates, salad, bread, utensils, napkins, sauces, and brings them to the table.

(10) After eating, the woman clears the table and does the dishes.

And most important of all:
(11) Everyone PRAISES the MAN and THANKS HIM for his cooking efforts.

(12) The man asks the woman how she enjoyed ' her night off 'and, upon seeing her annoyed reaction, concludes that there's just no pleasing some women!

Do you agree ladies?

All Smiles!

My Heart is Full of Love

God has blessed me with three wonderful people whom I love with all my heart.  Happy Valentines Day to my best friend and husband Chris, and to my two wonderful boys Jordan and Isaac.  I love all three of you more than words can express!! God has truly blessed me!







It took me a little more than 2 months but we FINALLY took a new family picture.  Dang good looking family if I do say so myself!

The Road To A New Career

For years now I have been talking about getting my certificate to do Medical Transcription.  I am interested in this field of work, because I love the medical field and I want to work from home.  This career allows me the opportunity to do that.

So after MANY years of talking, I finally took a step towards reaching my goal.  Last week, I registered for an on-line Medical Transcription Course through the US Career Institute.  It is an investment, ($1,000), but I feel that it will pay for itself in no time.  The fee includes everything I will need to obtain a nationally recognized certificate and from there I can work making anywhere from $10-$15/hour starting off.  I am looking forward to learning all that needs to be learned and jumping in to an exciting new career! Please pray that I can get done with the course and find a job in a decent amount of time.

Is says that I can have my certificate in as little as four months, so I have set a goal date of June 15, 2010 to be done.  I will keep you posted on my progress! UPS and USPS delivered all my course material, so I am going to  jump in to it tomorrow!



I received 3 binders and several small books full of information. This is a picture of the first binder I will be using.

Records Are Made To Be Broken

February 11, 2010 is a day that North Texans 'will remember for a long time.  Snow is not a common occurrence here.  When we do get it, it is usually mixed with sleet and freezing rain and turns to ice before we have time to play in it.  Yesterday was an exception.  Records have been kept for 111 years and we not only beat the record but we shattered it! We set the record at DFW airport for the most snowfall in a 24 hour span ever, 11.2"! Some of you are probably saying, yeah....so what, but here in Texas that is a huge deal!

Jordan and I have had a lot of fun playing in it! Below is one of my favorite pictures! I LOVE WINTER!

Mug Shot Thursday

Carrie's Kitchen

Hi everyone! I am excited to announce the launch of a new blog! I have created Carrie's Kitchen.

The point of this blog is to show you the good, the bad, and the ugly adventures of my kitchen.  As I have said in many of my previous posts, I am excited to get creative in the kitchen and make some new things.  This blog will show you how I make the recipe, what I think of it, and what if anything I would change about it.

If the recipe goes bad, I will still post it!  Every cook makes mistakes and sometimes its good to talk about them, laugh about them, and learn from them!

I also have a few other ideas of things I would like to do in Carrie's Kitchen so please go on over to my new site and check it out, subscribe to it, and join me for this adventure!

Our New Toy

We got a 40" LED LCD TV with a Blu-Ray player.  We then had to get a Blu-Ray so we purchased Disney Nature's Earth and Chris was able to capture a cool picture! We love our new toys!

Isaac's First Shots

With Isaac turning 2 months old yesterday, it was time to take him and get his first round of shots.  Here is how it went.

Before: He has no clue what is about to happen....

He got two in this leg....

and one in this leg.....

This was taken a few short minutes later.  He didn't even flinch when they did the first shot and only cried for about five seconds after the other two, He was smiling by the time we made it out to the car.  He did so good! Mommy is very proud of her little man!

2 Months Old

Isaac is two months old today!!

(2 blog post is one day...wow...I'm on a roll!)

New Cookware!

UPS delivered my new cookware today! I love it! Here are some pics and and a final question for you.



10 piece set included a spatula and spoon.



Stainless Steel with Copper Bottom



Glass Lids....

So here is the question for you...... I used one of my pans tonight, let is cool and then cleaned it.....and this happened.



What the heck? I've never had Stainless Steel before so I'm curious as to why it did this...Is this normal?

I am looking forward to getting cooking...I am considering starting a whole new blog with my Kitchen Adventures....so stay tuned!

Super Day

It is Super Bowl Sunday! I am sad to say that my Dallas Cowboys did not make it to the big stage tonight but what a game it was! The New Orleans Saints made an their first every appearance and did it with a rookie Quarterback in Drew Brees.  They were taking on an experienced Super Bowl Champion team in the Indianapolis Colts.  I have always liked the Colts Quarterback, Peyton Manning.  Up until about an hour before the game I was not sure who I was going to root for.  I had told myself all I wanted was a good close game and some very funny commercials.  I didn't really get either tonight.  I decided just before kick-off that I was going to root for the Saints due to the fact that they were the underdogs and I like it when the underdog wins.  Chris told me that he is a Cowboys fan but has always liked the Colts so that was who he would be cheering for.  So the stage in our house was set.  Who would end the night happy?  Here are a few pictures to show a time line of the  game.



Chris was relaxing on "his" couch watching the game, while Isaac was chillin', and kicking his Dad in the stomach.



Chris was happy because......



At the end of the 3rd Quarter the Colts were leading by 1! Peyton Manning had only 15 minutes to go.



Jordan was not interested in the game or commercials and decided to play on his laptop instead. (We are going to have to have a talk with him about this...our kids WILL love football...)



Chris' happy feeling did not last long, because.......

the SAINTS WON!!! Who Dat? Geaux Saints!!!

The final score of the 44th Super Bowl is 31-17.  What a great game and a great evening with the family.

Finally....

J has learned to tie his shoes!

(Sorry for the blurry picture, my phone's camera sucks!)

and....

Isaac smiled for the camera!

(He's been smiling for weeks now but never long enough to capture, until today!)

I Love.....

COOKIE DOUGH!

Tonight...I had a craving for chocolate chip cookies so I whipped up a quick batch of two and a half dozen!  What a great start to the weekend!

Chicken Fried Steak

For supper this evening I decided to try the new recipe for chicken fried steak.  I have never made this before but I was excited to give it a shot.  I am going to give you a short photo blog of how it went.

To start off, I mixed up the flour mixture in one bowl and the egg mixture in another.  This was fairly routine until I got to the egg mixture.  It wanted me to use egg, buttermilk, baking soda, and baking powder.  I have never used baking soda and powder in my egg mixture before.  It made the egg mixture a lot thicker and it stuck to the steaks way better than just an egg and milk mix would.

The next step was to dip each steak in the flour, then egg, then flour again.  The easiest way to do this was with my hands. I think the messier the prep work is, the better the food is!







Once the steaks were coated I heated up my oil.  The recipe called for peanut oil, but do to a tight budget I decided to go with canola oil.  Due to the size of my pan I had to cook the steaks in 3 batches, 2 at a time.  To keep them warm I put them on a cookie sheet in a 200 degree oven.  The steaks cooked for 10 minutes total, 5 minutes on each side.



While they steaks were cooking I worked on making my mashed potatoes and starting prepping for the gravy.  I needed to dice some garlic and onion.  This was probably the hardest part of the whole thing because I don't have good knives or a good tool for dicing but I managed.



The first batch of steaks came out of the oil a little mushy but a nice golden brown.  I didn't realize how much the coating would harden as it sat.  Glad I followed the directions and didn't keep cooking it!



Once all the steaks were done I set out to make my first ever pan of gravy.  I do not have pictures of this step due to the fact that I was stirring the gravy for the 5 minutes it was cooking.  The whole process took me about 2 hours to complete.  Why 2 hours?  Shortly after I started prepping everything, everyone needed something from Mom.  Isaac decided that he had to eat, and he had to eat RIGHT NOW! Jordan was trying to do his homework and had lost his spelling list.  Mom was the only one who could find it (Which I didn't).  Chris would have helped me out but he had been up and at work since Midnight and was getting a much deserved nap.  It was a hectic couple of hours and the meal was a lot of work, but in the end, it was well worth it!  I think we found a family favorite! With the help of America's Test Kitchen I learned a few tricks and cooked a great meal. I look forward to trying more recipes.  Below is a picture of the finished product all plated up.



If you would like to purchase this cookbook, you may do so here.