Thankful

I just thought I should do a quick post about how thankful I am for my family and friends and our good health. I just read on facebook about a friend losing their father last night. That is the second father this week (just that I know!) that has been taken away from their family too soon. I can't even imagine the pain of losing a parent, sibling, or a spouse. It was so hard to say goodbye to my Grandpa McDonald in 1997 and my Grandpa Arnold in 2008, but we were so grateful for the many years we were able to have with them. It is never quite enough though. To have someone taken from you when they are only in their fifty's?! That is just not fair. I know that I, nor anyone else will understand it, we just have to accept that God has a plan.

So all of my family and friends, I love you, and here is an online hug until I can see you in person and give you a real one.

Spicy Garlic Lime (or Lemon) Chicken

This blog has made me want to try new recipes so I can recommend them to you! I found this chicken recipe on allrecipes.com and it is AWESOME! I had just finished making it when Nick walked in from work and his first comment was "it smells so good in here!" Then as soon as I put it on his plate and he took a bite he said that I definitely need to make it again! And to really seal the deal, he also made the comment that it is probably the best chicken he has ever had, which is saying a lot as we have chicken one to two nights a week for supper! :) So hopefully that will encourage you to try this recipe!

The amazing flavor in this chicken isn't the only reason that I loved it, it was super easy and quick to make! It is such an inexpensive meal! I hate recipes that call for ingredients that you don't have or very rarely use. This is basically just several spices that you will most likely have in your cupboard. Since I have talked this recipe up so much, I hope it lives up to your expectations if you try it!

Spicy Garlic Lime Chicken

1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/8 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon dried parsley
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts

2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 teaspoons garlic powder
3 tablespoons lime or lemon juice

1. In a small bowl, mix together salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper, 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder, onion powder, thyme, and parsley. Sprinkle spice mixture generously on both sides of chicken breasts.

2. Heat butter and olive oil in a large heavy skillet over medium heat. Saute chicken until golden brown about 6 minutes on each side. Sprinkle with 2 teaspoons garlic powder and lime juice. Cook 5 minutes stirring frequently to coat evenly with sauce.

BBQ Chicken Pizza

I found this recipe on the Pioneer Woman's website and just had to try it tonight!! It was AWESOME!!! Super good and really quite easy! We have never tried fresh mozzarella cheese before, but I don't think I ever want to eat the pre-shredded, bagged kind again! The cheese melted and was bubbly and creamy and absolutely delicious!! I didn't make my own pizza crust, I just used one of the packaged kind that you just add water too and it worked perfect! I loved this pizza and will definitely make it again! Let me know what you think if you try it too!

My Oversized Breadbox With Legs

Friday night I decided it was time to re-arrange my craft room/office. It is about the only room in our house that I can re-arrange, so I am surprised I have waited this long to do it. I have four pieces of furniture in this room: a desk, a table for crafts, a file cabinet, and a bookshelf. I moved my bookshelf and table so they are within arms reach of each other, which only makes sense because my bookshelf holds several items I use each time I make cards. I also put my desk and file cabinet next to each other, which seems to make sense as well. Once I was done moving things, I was fairly pleased, but decided my desk just does not go with the other furniture in here.



See what I mean? I loved this desk back in high school when I got it, but I don't care as much for it anymore. I really wanted a wooden desk. So, Saturday morning I sit down at the computer and start searching Craigslist...uh-oh! I find a small rolltop desk in Pella, listed for only $80. Sounds like a pretty good deal! I talked to my mom about it and she agreed. So, I call Nick and email him a picture. He calls me back and asks if I want his honest opinion? Sure. It looks like an oversized bread-box with legs. I can maybe see that, but in my eyes it is just charming. And it reminds me of my grandparents as they have always had one in their dining room. He tells me if I really want it, to offer the guy $60 and he will pick it up on his way home from work. We settled on $70. :) So, without further ado, my bread-box with legs:



On a final note, the first sign of spring:



This would be the daffodils in my back yard. With the nice weather it sounds like we are supposed to have, they should be blooming in the next couple weeks!!! Woo-hoo!!!! Hope you all remembered to "spring" forward!

Old Fashioned Corn and Potato Chowder

I love trying new recipes! I had the urge to try something new tonight and asked Nick for suggestions, he is sick this week so he suggested soup! I have thousands, and I am not kidding when I say thousands, of recipes, but do I look at any of them, nope, I look at The Pioneer Woman's cooking blog, Tasty Kitchen. Here is the recipe.

We tasted it after it had boiled and was supposed to be done, but to be honest, it was pretty bland, so we made some adjustments that I would recommend:

- We added more onions. Onions and potatoes go so well together and with 1/4 cup, you couldn't really taste them.

- Add some bacon or ham! We didn't have ham, so we cooked up some bacon in the microwave and added it, much better!

- Finally, it is much better if you add some cheese to your bowl!!

I hope you enjoy if you decide to try this recipe!!

Cards

So a couple of weeks ago I started making cards. I have a very short attention span, but love doing crafts. This is the best of both worlds for me! I love to sew and quilt, but I also really like instant gratification! You don't quite get that with quilting, as it is very time consuming to make one quilt! Cards are quick to create and hopefully put a smile on someone's face when they receive them!

My hubby doesn't have a lot of faith in this hobby lasting as I have a bad habit of diving head first into things and then get burnt out quickly. :) I think this is different though!

Anyhow, Nick is very good at acting excited when I show him a new card, but this is a good way to share my creations with someone other than him! Hope you enjoy!

This is one of the first cards I made...preparing for Christmas a little early!


Here is one of the spring/easter cards that I have made.


Here is a super early Valentine's day card!


This is one of my favorite cards that I have made so far. Pink and brown is one of my favorite color combinations!


Finally, this is my favorite. I made this really quick Saturday morning to give my mom!

Welcome!!

Welcome to my blog! I have spent hours upon hours reading blogs and finally decided it was time to create my own! I have stumbled across so many blogs of complete strangers and read their blogs and now I feel like I know them, so who knows, maybe I will meet some new friends through this!

I don't have anything all that important or exciting to share, just my life experiences and probably a lot of randon ramblings!

I have discovered a new hobby that is slowly becoming addictive...cardmaking! It is so rewarding for me to sit down in an hour and create something that will hopefully make someone smile. As soon as I get a chance, I will upload some photos of the cards I have made so far!

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you enjoy my blog!