Foxglove, eh?

...yeah, I guess this really about sums it up!

I am a Foxglove What Flower Are You?

Valentine's Day at The Kerr House

This is how we roll -

No overpriced dinner at some pseudo-fancy pretentious restaurant for us. At the Kerr's we had heart-shaped meatloaf made by my wonderful husband and baked potatoes with all the fixin's.

And these are the sweet little treats I made for my honey and coworkers - Oreo Cookie Truffles. It was my first shot at making truffles and they were far from perfect.  They taste fantastic, but looked a bit rough. I was actually calling them my pretty little disasters by the time I finished. I was having trouble because the truffles kept melting as I was covering them with chocolate. As I progressed they look more and more like "cookies and cream" truffles - lots of crumbs mixed in the chocolate coating.  I have since learned that you should freeze them so that doesn't happen. Thanks Aunt Kim! I can't wait to make them again and try the new technique.

Also, in true sister-as-my-valentine fashion, I got a super fabulous gift from my little Banani. She got me something we've both been wanting for YEARS. Yes, years. A swiss army knife!!! OMG. Yes, I got a weapon/sharp object as a Valentine's Day gift. She's a girl after my own heart! The only gift that could ever eclipse a swiss army knife is the new blood-splatter Goatwhore vinyl...or chocolate-covered cherries from the love of my life.

How did you celebrate? 

Slow Cook Your Way To Your Man's Heart

Or your woman's heart...or anyone's heart for that matter! As long as they like beef.

I'm not a cook. not even close. Every now and then, though, I like to try something new to switch up the taco, chinese chicken, pizza, mac and cheese, turkey sandwich monotony. My favorite way to do it is the slow cooker. It's the most magical thing in my life. You throw a bunch of food in, go to work (or back to sleep if it's Sunday) and at dinner time - you have dinner!

Last year I started following Stephanie O'Dea's blog - A Year of Slow Cooking and have found a veritable mountain of treasure! It's one of my favorite blogs. I made the Italian Beef Sandwiches as a Super Sunday treat for my hubby last week. Not because of the super bowl, but because we love our lazy Sundays together. It's the one day we get to just hang out together and relax.

Italian Beef Sandwiches
property of http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/

Anyway, I threw everything in the slow cooker and viola! At 7pm we had the most delicious beef sandwiches ever in the history of beef sandwiches! Seriously.

Due to my hubby having picky tastes and the fact that there's only two of us in the household, I made a few slight changes in the recipe. Here's what I did that deviated from Stephanie's recipe:

• 2 lb. rump roast (it calls for 3-4 lb, but we could NEVER eat that much)
• Didn’t put anise in
• Only used 2 tablespoons of Italian Seasoning instead of the separate spices
• Even though I used less meat, I used the same amount of everything else

If you want to wow your man or are in the courting phase of a relationship, make this. You will not be sorry! He will be yours FOREVER...as long as you promise to make it again.

whew!

*large sign of relief* 

It's over. ahhhhhhh...... 

The baby shower is over. 

On to the next thing, right?

Nope. 

Wrong. 

It's been one thing after another these past few months - trip to NYC, getting ready to move, moving, unpacking,  Christmas, trip to NC, baby shower planning. Now I think I deserve a break and I'm going to take it. It's been pretty crazy around here and I'm looking forward to chillaxin' with my hubby, playing games, crafting, and reorganizing the kitchen so I can make better use of the space. 

But the past few days, since Sunday actually, 'baby shower' has been a bad word. Maybe I'll post a recap once I fully recover from the craziness. Hopefully I'll be able to bring myself to do it - eventually.

Love this girl, my bff Jess, like a sister. I'm so happy it's almost Baby Time!

See photos from the trip to PA and shower here

8 days.

That's 192 hours I have to get ready for the baby shower. SCARY!

I've been busy trying to get everything together and planned properly so that my BFF has the best baby shower in the whole world! I've been to a few really good ones - my friend Carla's was the best by far - so the bar is pretty high. I've got food and decorations, a preggo BFF, cute clothes for both of us to wear, a pretty handy and helpful little sis that's also bringing a cake and some pretty rad favors. What more does a baby shower need?

Oh yeah - delicious baby shower punch. My favorite part of all. I think I'm going to try a new recipe this time instead of just winging it. Fruity Sherbet Punch sounds just about right.

I'll let you know how it turns out.

Inspirational Thoughts on a Sunday Morning

“Paths clear for those who know where they’re going and are determined to get there.”
― Anonymous

I want happiness and health. And have resolved to do it.

Where are you going?

New Year = New Penny...Not really

The obligatory new year blog post - although it's 8 days late. Funny, one of my "things" (as I prefer not to call them resolutions, but instead "things I need to work on") is to blog more. I love writing my little blog - sharing my life with the world. I just don't get to it very often. I'm a busy gal, what can I say?!?!?

Here are the things I'm going to work on in 2012:

• Take Time
• Normally, I rush through my day - from home to work, to lunch breaks, to errands, to home, to laundry, to couponing, to packing lunch, to bed.  I'm always rushing. This year, I'm going to try to enjoy life more by taking the time to smell the roses. 
• This includes making time for: blogging, crafting, painting my nails, visiting my friends, playing with babies, and snuggling with my honey on the couch. You know, the things I do that make me smile and leave me with that warm and fuzzy feeling for days!
• Finish 
• My number one fault is that I have no follow-through. This year, I plan on finishing what I start. Pray for me. I need divine intervention to get on top of this one. I've spent a lifetime saying "I'll work on that later", "I don't feel like doing that anymore" or "I'm done with that".  Being a fickle Gemini, this is just my nature. It's hard to change an innate personality trait, I know, but I'm going to try.

And that's it. I don't get all crazy with the "eat better, exercise more" because it's unrealistic when you rush through your day and don't cook your own meals or get home before dark. That's not a resolution or a "thing to work on" it's an everyday struggle. I've come to terms with the fact that getting a new calendar isn't going to make me skinny or change me into a new person. A new outlook - that will help. 

Cheers to 2012! Wish me luck!