Dear Winter Break,
You're supposed to be relaxing. And non-busy. And cold. I'm not enjoying the constantly running I seem to be doing. Oh and the 80 degree weather. Not cool, winter break, not cool.
So in case you forgot, here's what you're supposed to look like:
Sincerely,
Courtney
I'm really sorry I've been MIA lately. Here's a little catch-up on my life:
I finally graduated! YAY! My family happened to be sitting in the same row as me so my mom snapped a quick shot. That's me making the face:
I also got a job. I start on January 10th. I will be working in the NICU (neonatal intensive care unit) at one of our local hospitals. I can't wait to love on them babies!
I had a really good Christmas. It's all going by way to fast though. My "big" gifts were a Kindle (which I LOVE!) and 2 Chi flat irons (I really needed this!).
I feel like I've barely been home any, though. I'm tearing up the roads going from place to place. I know it's going to get busy again when I start working, but hopefully I can still make time for everything else in life.
In honor of the last day of 2010, I thought I'd highlight my top 5 posts for 2010. I'm basing this off of the number of page views.
# 5: DIY Magazine Holders
# 4: Oreo Balls
# 3: DIY Custom Designed Candles
# 2: Etched Washer Necklace
And the # 1 post for 2010 is: DIY Necklace Holder
A few quick notes:
I'm SO proud of my sponsor, Dana from Saturday Mornings for making it to the top 2 for the Blog Guidebook Top Blog of 2010! She really has a great blog so be sure to swing on by and check her out! Also, voting for the top blog begins next week so be sure to head on over and vote for her!
Also, my good friend Nichole over at Mrs. Lavespere is hosting a GIVEAWAY! It ends TONIGHT so be sure to head on over and enter :)
Ok, well maybe not BRAND NEW. You see, my mom had bought these sweater hoodie things for our dogs a few years ago. She got the smallest ones but they still SWALLOW our dogs. So they got tossed to the side.
Well Tigger, our older/grumpy/grandpa poodle, who only has 1 eye (had a blown cornea or something when I was 14) and is going blind in the other eye and can only hear really loud noises (either that or he has selective hearing which I like to think sometimes), shakes ALL THE TIME. It's winter and he DOES NOT like it. So I found one of the sweaters and decided to give it some alterations.
First I had to find my model. Yea, he didn't want to participate very well. I pulled everything out of his massive kennel (blankets, pillows, dog beds) and he STILL wouldn't budge. This is his "Touch me and I will CUT you" face.
Finally convinced him to come out of the kennel. Here's the original sweater.
Poor thing... it's so big on him!
Well he was a really good trooper about it all. I flipped the sweater inside out and then put it on him. I carefully pinned the excess so I knew where to sew and cut. He calmly sat in my lap through the whole thing. Then I carefully took the sweater off. Look how much excess I had to pin back!
I nixed the hood because really, what dog is going to wear a hood and not try to attack it. I sewed along the back and then cut the excess off. I also slimmed the arms and gave him a little collar.
I later cut off the ribbed part of the arms and took off a few inches from the hem of the body. It allows him to walk a little easier and to do his, um, business without soiling the whole thing. I think he finds it a little weird and he doesn't want to move in it. But he does shake a lot less because he is warmer now!
So there you have it! My first puppy alterations :)
Don't Forget! PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE go VOTE for my wonderful sponsor Dana at Saturday Mornings! She has made the Top 10 for the Blog Guidebook Top Blog for 2010! She would REALLY appreciate it and I know I would too! She has a great blog and really deserves to win! So head on over HERE to vote. It only takes a few seconds!
Today I want to share with you my FAVORITE chili recipe! It's a box mix, but I kind of spruce it up a little. Perfect for those cold winter nights :)
Get some ground beef cooking (about 1.5 - 2 lbs). Meanwhile, gather your ingredients. 2 Alarm chili seasoning (it's the best kind in my opinion), an 8 oz can of tomato sauce, a can of kidney beans, a can of pinto beans, and a can of Rotel tomatoes (or you could use diced tomatoes- we just didn't have any). Black beans would be really good too I bet!
Make sure the ground beef is cooked through. You can drain or you can not drain if your lazy like me to add extra flavor.
Then add the tomato sauce.
Then fill up the can from the tomato sauce with water and add that. Twice. So that's 2 8 oz cans of water.
Now it's time to add the seasonings from the box. That's a lot of seasoning! I think there's like a whole cup of chili powder. But that's what makes it yummy :)
Stir well and let it start coming to a boil.
Now up to this point, that's the recipe from the box. So if you're following the box, you let it cook for about 20 min or so. But if you want to spruce it up, continue... Add the can of kidney beans...
Then the can of pinto beans (and any other beans you want)...
Then the can of Rotel (or tomatoes). Let it cook until nice and yummy (like 20 minutes or so).
Top with cheese and sour cream and enjoy!
Mmmm... so good!
Alright, now for a few favorites from last week :)
Nancy, at NancyCreative, shares with us how to make Corn Dog Muffins! What a great idea and so easy to make! They remind me of little pig in a blankets but these take so much less time to make. Would be a great meal any time of the day :)
Oooh... check out this Cranberry Apple Pie that Jenny from E-Mealz shares with us. It looks SO DELICIOUS! A great modern twist on an old classic! I can't wait to try this one out.
Looking for a meal your kids will LOVE (and you too!)? Check out these Pizza Bites from Shannon over at Why Not on a Tuesday. They look fantastic and super easy to make!
There were SO MANY great recipes last week! Be sure to head over and see more! Click HERE.
So what do you have cooking for us today?
Add as many recipes as you'd like! Look for featured ones next week too! Yours could be a favorite!
Grab a button and share with others!
