Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Friends & A Photo Shoot ~

Howdy!

Is every one out there staying dry? I don't know about where you are but we are getting pounded with Thunder Storms and RAIN! It has done nothing but rain here since we got back from our trip. I was lucky on 2 days to squeeze in a Senior photo shoot and a sweet family photographed in between showers.

I always enjoy getting a phone call from an out of town friend saying that she is going to come for a visit. :o) They were wanting some family pictures and well.....i was glad to do it for them. Here are a few of my favorite shots from the day.........

Good news...the rain stopped. Bad news....the sun was out bright and shiny! That equals high 90 temps and squinty eyes. But i still love this shot. It was the very first of the day.

This little girl has the most cutest, poutiest lips i have ever seen!






What a beautiful family!



It was such a joy to be able to photograph this sweet family. Can't wait to do it again. :o)




I will post my senior pics soon..........




Happy Tuesday!

Thursday, June 23, 2011

New Orleans ~

HI FOLKS!




Summer is in full swing around here. Lots going on and we have been away. We took a trip to Houston, Texas this past week. My husbands mother had her surgery and chemo and we decided to go and make sure she was doing ok. I'm so excited to report that she is doing good and getting better every day. The surgery went well and lasted 10 hours. The chemo was a 90 min. wash.


She still has a long way to go though....but hopefully she will be able to go home in a few weeks.



Every morning before we headed out to the Hospital the kids enjoyed eating their TEXAS shaped waffle! I enjoyed them too.... HA!




MD Anderson was the biggest hospital i have ever seen. The hubs said it was like a cruise ship. And indeed it was. But the most important thing is that the doctors and staff there are the nicest people i have ever met in a hospital. They take VERY good care of the patients there. And we left knowing that she was being taken very well care of.

It was our first time to Houston. It was a big city! Lots of things to do and see. Our days was spent at the hospital but one afternoon we took the kids to the Children's Museum. The had an absolute BLAST!







She's an EMT......



She's a VET........


Little man decided he wanted to be a vet. too......




There was so much for them to do they couldn't get to everything quick enough. We were exhausted!



On our way back home we stopped in New Orleans, Louisiana. We went for the history ....not the night life. We stayed here.....







I had a hard time getting out of bed....BEST hotel bed EVER!




We winded down all the streets of the French Quarter. Some were still damaged from the Hurricane but this one still looked nice. Isn't it the cutest? It is for sale......





St. Louis Cathedral.



Absolutely Stunning inside!


Yummy......
Oh this store was the sweetest little shop! They had a doll house that was every girls dream!

These fellas could take you anywhere you wanted to go..... There were Night Tours of the Cemeteries. They had Ghost and Vampire Tours. I looked around during the day thanks.......
Is it weird to say that they were kinda beautiful? Very different than what you see around here. I found one family Tomb that started in 1828 and the last one to enter was in 2008. Alot were so old that the writing was gone.



It was a very interesting stop on our trip. But i'm glad we went. Little man even came home with an alligator foot necklace.




Now onto the dreaded "After Trip" laundry.........yuck!

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Piggy Paint ~

My sweet little girl just loves to have her "piggies" painted! Some days when little brother goes down for a nap i try to make it a special time for her. Time that she gets to spend with mommy all to herself. And one of her favorite things to do is paint finger nails and piggies. :o) Wednesdays are usually the day of choice for me. Clipped nails + fresh coat of paint = Nicely groomed kid for church! HA! Have you ladies with little girls heard of PIGGY PAINT ? It is a NON-toxic nail paint. Here is what they have to say:

Piggy Paint is a natural, eco-friendly nail polish designed for fancy girls. Its non-toxic, hypoallergenic formula makes it safe to use on all piggies.

Piggy Paint dries to a hard, durable finish that can easily be removed with our eco-friendly, low odor Piggy Paint nail polish remover. Both are made in the USA!

Available in an assortment of gift sets perfect for Holidays and other special occasions. Say good-bye to harsh, smelly chemicals and hello to Piggy Paint...it's as Natural as Mud®!


Check out the website. They have all kinds of colors to choose from. Little girls favs are....Fairy Fabulous, Forever Fancy and clouds of candy. They have a gift set right now called "Little Miss Firecracker"! SO CUTE! Red-White-Blue set! My little girl will love it. They also have a set for Halloween called "Ghouls wanna have fun"! These paints are a little pricey but worth the money if you want non-toxic and kid friendly! :o)

Thursday, June 2, 2011

Burger Argentina with Chimichurri Sauce ~

AHHH....summer. Time for family fun and HAMBURGERS. I love me a good burger don't you!!?? I have this recipe that i found the other day. I have it wrote down but i have NO IDEA where i got it. Sorry. I would love to give credit were credit is due. Anyways....i though i would share it. :-D


Burger Argentina with Chimichurri Sauce
Ingredients:
1/2 Cup Chopped Fresh Parsley
1/4 Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 Large Shallot, minced
2 Tablespoons Red Wine Vinegar
2 Garlic Cloves, minced
1/8 Teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes
1 1/2 Pounds 85% Lean Ground Beef
5 Teaspoons Vegetable Oil
1 Red Onion, peeled and cut into 1/4 inch rings
4 Hamburger Buns


Directions:
Begin by making the Chimichurri sauce, combining the parsley, olive oil, shallot, vinegar, garlic, and pepper flakes. Season with salt and pepper.

Next, gently mix the ground beef with a 1/2 teaspoon of salt, 1/2 teaspoon of pepper, and three tablespoons of the Chimichurri sauce in a large bowl until well combined. Form the mixture into four 3/4 inch thick patties and make a slight indentation in the top of each with your knuckles. Making an indentation in the beef patties helps them from not swelling during the cooking process. Don't press too hard though - a shallow center with thick edges will not make for a good burger by unevenly cooking it.

Then, heat three teaspoons of oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat until the oil is warmed through and is shimmering, not yet smoking. Cook the onion rings until soft and golden, about six minutes. Transfer the onion rings to a plate and tent with foil to keep warm.

After that, wipe the skillet down with paper towels. Return the skillet to the stovetop and heat remaining two teaspoons of oil in the skillet until the oil is just smoking. Add the meat patties until they are well browned and cooked to desired doneness, 6-8 minutes. Arrange the burgers on the hamburger buns, top with the cooked onion rings, drizzle with sauce, and enjoy!


Now...what would a good burger be without a good DESSERT??


Cookie Dough Brownies

Ingredients:

For the Brownies Layer:
1 box of brownie mix (family size)
Ingredients on box the box to make the brownies
For the Cookie Dough Layer:
1 ½ C (3 sticks) salted butter, room temperature
1 ½ C brown sugar
⅔ C granulated sugar
1 t vanilla extract
9 T milk
3 C all purpose flour
2 C chocolate chips

Directions:
Make the brownies according to directions on the box and bake as directed.


To make the cookie dough, cream together the butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, and vanilla until light and fluffy. Beat in milk. Add in flour and mix until combined. Stir in chocolate chips.

Once brownies have completely cooled spread the cookie dough on top. Place in freezer for 20-30 minutes or in refrigerator for several hours to set.

Now THAT is a great way to ruin your summer diet....hehe!!

Wednesday, June 1, 2011

Summer List ~

I don't know about you but it is getting Hot, HOt, HOT in our neck of the woods. Temps reaching 98 today. And that means alot of SWIMMING! :o) I think i mentioned in the last post that we have a Summer "To-Do" list. Well in this post i thought i would share some of those things with you. So here goes....our SUMMER LIST....

1. Swim
2. Make Homemade Ice Cream
3. Make Tie-dyed T'shirts
4. Make Sidewalk Chalk Paint
5. Make homemade Slip N Slide
6. Play at the Park
7. Make S'mores
8. Go to Zoo {check}
9. Go for a Hike
10. Go for a Picnic
11. Make a Bird Feeder
12. Pick Berries
13. Make Pie with those picked Berries
14. Go to FREE movie at local theater
15. Go to the Library for Story Time
16. Have a PJ and Movie Day
17. Build a Fort
18. Go Mini-Golfing
19. Have a BBQ
20. Plant Flowers {check}
21. Have a Garage Sale
22. Go to a FREE concert
23. Make Rainbow Pancakes
24. Have a Scavenger Hunt
25. Have a Weenie Roast
26. Take Kids to Play in the water at the local Outdoor Mall
27. Take kids to Breakfast at Chic-fil-a their favorite

That is some of my Summer List....i have more and also plan to add along the way. Do you have a Summer List? If so let me know....i love getting new ideas. :o)
 

avandia