I'd like to be here

On this rainy and cool Wednesday, I'd like to be curled up in bed. Any of these would be lovely.

Some of my favorite bedroom images from: Head Over Heels, Apartment Therapy, and Country Living.

Thank you to Mrs. Life Accounts!

I was given the Kreativ Blogger award by Mrs. Life Accounts! Thank you!

For this award, I am supposed to post 7 facts about myself and pass the award on to 7 other bloggers!

Here are some facts:

1. In case you don't already know, Chris and I have 5 dogs. Yes - 5. We didn't intend to have so many - he had one, and I had two when we got together - but we love them all (although this is it for probably the next 10 years!).

2. I hate some of the clothes and hairstyles that some kids and teens are sporting these days! I secretly am glad that all of that will be out of style by the time we have kids and they are that age!

3. We live about 10 minutes away from the new Dallas Cowboys stadium ("Jerry-World") in Arlington, and it is absolutely massive on a grand scale. But it is really cool looking. Can't wait to go see Texas Tech (Chris' alma mater) play Baylor there in November.

4. I always thought I was a "city girl" at heart, and in many ways I am... but as I get older, the draw of living in a small town gets more and more appealing to me.

5. Because Chris travels so much, and I am the one to drop him off and pick him up, I have now memorized the DFW airport and could probably navigate it in my sleep. I realize that is nothing exciting for you to know about me, but just something I was thinking about last Sunday afternoon when I was dropping Chris off again.

6. I have mad love for spicy food. Really spicy food. I love it. Unfortunately, Chris doesn't.

7. When I was younger, in high school, I would get really scared at haunted houses. But now, all they make me do is giggle and laugh. I guess it's because I know they're just people (like me) and that nothing's for real - it's all for fun. I don't know, they're just not all that scary to me anymore. (*On a side note: I also didn't think Paranormal Activity the movie was as scary as I was expecting! It was okay, but not the scarefest I thought it would be! I guess I'm jaded.)

Hmmm.... I'm supposed to name 7 fellow bloggers, but I'll leave it open to anyone who wants to play along . Just let me know so I can come read about you!

Trim-It-Down Tuesday: Slow Cooker Veggie Chili

I have to be honest here... I haven't tried this recipe yet. BUT, we are trying it tomorrow night, and I'll be back to report on how it turned out. Slow cooker recipes tend to turn out pretty well, so I'm going ahead and posting this one.

***Edit*** This recipe is fabulous!!! Really very tasty and filling. My sister subbed one can of Rotel to spice it up a bit - yummy!

Slow Cooker Veggie Chili

Prep time: 25 mins.
Cook time: approx. 8 hrs.

Add a dash of your favorite hot sauce for some extra heat, and use a variety of your favorite beans if you wish.

Yield
Makes 15 servings (serving size: 1 1/2 cups)

Ingredients
2 large carrots, diced (1 cup)
2 celery ribs, diced (1/2 cup)
1 medium-size sweet onion, diced
Vegetable cooking spray
2 (8-oz.) packages sliced fresh mushrooms
1 large zucchini, chopped (1 1/2 cups)
1 yellow squash, chopped (1 cup)
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon seasoned pepper
1 (8-oz.) can tomato sauce
3 cups tomato juice
2 (14 1/2-oz.) cans diced tomatoes, undrained
4 (15-oz.) cans pinto, black, great Northern, or kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup frozen whole kernel corn

Preparation
1. Sauté first 3 ingredients in a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat 10 minutes or until onions are translucent. Add mushrooms, zucchini, and squash; sauté 3 more minutes. Add chili powder and next 2 ingredients, and sauté 5 more minutes.

2. Stir together tomato sauce and tomato juice in a 6-qt. slow cooker until smooth. Stir in diced tomatoes, next 2 ingredients, and carrot mixture. Cover and cook on LOW 8 hours.

Note: Cool leftovers, and freeze in plastic freezer containers or zip-top plastic freezer bags for up to 2 months.

Nutritional Information
Calories: 124 (0.0% from fat)
Fat: 0.8g (sat 0.1g,mono 0.1g,poly 0.2g)
Protein: 7.4g
Carbohydrate: 24.5g
Fiber: 7g
Cholesterol: 0.0mg
Iron: 2mg
Sodium: 566mg
Calcium: 63mg

Short Blogcation

I know I've been busy and not been around too much the last week or so... This week is shaping up to be a doozy, and there are some things I really need to take care of. I'm going to try to get around to say hello, but I'm going to take a little vacation from my blog this week in hopes of getting some things done.

I really really appreciate all the kind words last week. Those words really mean a lot to me and help to cheer me up. Thank you.

I'll be back next week!

Fall colors

It's finally starting to feel like fall around here.
It's too bad we don't get quite the color show that other parts of the country get.

Right now, this is my desktop wallpaper - I love it. Can you imagine driving down this road like this?

You don't really see covered bridges in Texas. This one is beautiful. Maybe this is what the one in Sleepy Hollow looks like.

Snow mixed in with fall leaves?? This is definitely not Texas.

This is what I feel like doing today, when it's rainy and kind of cold!

I found this cuteness over on Etsy. My chihuahua would love it.

Thank you for your kind words yesterday. I feel better today as last night I was able to sort out, organize, and de-clutter our medicine cabinet, as well as under our sinks! That gave me a big sense of accomplishment. I know everyone gets down once in a while, but I try to remember how lucky I am in the grand scheme of things. And some of the internet connections I've made on here are part of why I can feel so lucky. Thanks :-)

Dumpsville, USA

I normally try not to use this space as a venting ground, where I just take all my frustrations out on the world, but I'm going to make a little selfish exception today because I could use any good cheer that's sent my way. I'm kind of down in the dumps.

You know when you see something (like, say, a plaid piece of fabric used as a blanket?) that you really like, but try as you might, you can't find a stylish and affordable way to recreate it?? And, because you obsess, all you can think about is how much you wish you could just afford to go out and buy the object of your obsession?? (Did you know that plaid flannel sheets are a dying breed?? They are almost impossible to find.)

Does anybody else have pets (more specifically dogs) that do not like to go out when it's wet??? Cleaning up after your pets every single day, usually in a few places, is not fun.

And how frustrating that they need baths, but since it's supposed to be raining for the next couple of days it's useless to attempt to bathe them because they'll just go out and get all muddy!?!?! Of course, there's always the one that won't even go out on the back COVERED porch because it's wet outside...

There are like 4 bushes I'd like to transplant. But it was too hot, and now it's been too wet. Pretty soon it'll be too cold, and then I'll get frustrated because I can't finish what I'd like to get done out in the garden!

Does anyone else find it almost impossible to cram in errands and chores into the 4 or 5 hours you have after work and before bed?? Is it me, or does it seem like you come home, change and go run errands, and next thing you know it's 9:00 PM??? And you haven't even eaten dinner??

Which brings me to my next point: do you have these big chores that you just keep putting off because you know they will take a long time?? Does that depress you too, that you can't seem to find or make the time to tackle them?

Does anyone else's husband inadvertantly sabotage your drive to get things done on the weekend because they just want to "relax and watch TV"??? Relaxing and watching TV is all good and fine, but when Monday comes around and there's a bunch of things I didn't get done on the weekend that I really should have gotten done (like clean the office, clean the house), it just starts to pile up and bother me. Which then goes back to the fact that I am finding it impossible to accomplish much in the 4 to 5 hours after work.

Is anyone else out there feeling really fat? Just me?? How about dowdy?


Okay, okay, okay.... It's just hard to always be so damned perky all the time! ;-)
In all reality, I'm just having one of those days. You know, the days when you realize that you're not Martha Stewart, your house isn't perfect, you're kind of lazy, and you don't have all the money in the world?? Yeah, one of those days.

Tonight, though, I swear, I'm going to get the medicine cabinet all organized and put up. And that will make me feel a little better, one thing I can check off my list.

Interesting Design Advice

"Don’t ask for your spouse’s participation in every decision. If he or she is design-impaired, they will simply be intimidated by the abundance of choices. If you show him a magazine picture of an elaborately draped bed, he will be so alarmed by the bed hangings that he’ll be unable to see the charming shape of the headboard. Keep him in the loop by sharing your most subdued paint color choices and conservative furniture selections. Keep your riskier decisions to yourself until their successful integration proves your design genius."

from:
http://www.myhomeideas.com/healthy-home/newlywed-decorating-00400000051879/all/





So, what do you think??


*I personally kind of love Miles Redd's living room (photo from Urban Grace Interiors), but if Chris were to come home and find that I've painted our living room pink, I truly think he'd shoot me.

Trim-It Down Tuesday: Cabbage Patch Stew

Today's recipe comes from my Mom. It's one of those recipes that she made when we were growing up, so it brings back those warm fuzzies whenever I make it - perfect for those chilly nights!
Unfortunately, since this is an older family recipe, I don't have any caloric information for you - but knowing the ingredients, it's not going to be high-calorie.

Cabbage Patch Stew

Ingredients:
1 to 2 pounds of lean ground beef (I'm sure you could also sub in turkey)
1 head of cabbage, roughly chopped (but not into too small of pieces)
1 onion, either white or yellow, chopped
2 stalks of celery, chopped
1 can of diced stewed tomatoes
Approx. 1 cup of ketchup (feel free to use the low-sugar kind)
1 tablespoon of crushed red pepper flakes (or more if you like things spicy!)
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Brown the ground beef with the chopped onions and celery. I like to add some salt and pepper as well. Make sure to cook it until the celery is tender.
Drain the fat from the beef mixture.
Add beef mixture in a large pot with the remainder of the ingredients. Cover with water - until just the tops of the cabbage are covered. Some will pieces float, but you don't want chunks of cabbage sticking out from your soup. You will need a really large pot for this, and depending on the size, you may need to subtract some of the cabbage.
Bring up almost to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for about an hour or until cabbage is tender.

Feel free to add additional ketchup to your bowl of soup, to your taste. This soup will easily feed a family of 5 for dinner - it makes a lot of soup!

This is one of my favorite cool weather recipes! Hope you enjoy it too!

Go Go TCU!

Yes, I am a fighting Horned Frog! Probably one of the worst/weirdest mascots ever, but whatever... TCU is a great school. At least we're not the Ducks.

This weekend I'm looking forward to seeing my #11 TCU Horned Frogs cream the SMU Mustangs! Since TCU is in Fort Worth and SMU is in Dallas, we've got some cross town rivalry action going on which makes it fun (especially because I know we're going to win!) I'm going to go to the game with my sister and a couple friends, so it should be fun. Just hoping to not get rained on!

Oh, and for those of you still asking what exactly a Horned Frog is? It's a small lizard/reptile that's native to Texas (and probably other areas in the Southwest). It's about the size of your palm. Sometimes they're also called a Horny Frog or a Horny Toad. We don't really see a lot of them anymore, which is kind of sad, but I remember seeing them all the time when we lived in Abilene TX over 20 years ago (shut-up).

Hope you all have a great weekend!!

Go TCU!!

Cool idea: Pumpkin cooler

I grabbed this picture off an email I received from a local store - what a great idea for your "holiday" parties!
Yes, yes, the pumpkin might get kind of nasty by the end of the night, but you can just throw it away. Lining it with some sort of plastic might help with that too.

Has anyone seen this done before?? I hadn't, so I thought I'd share.