Friday, September 28, 2012

sloppy joes, slop sloppy joes

i've got a great recipe for kiddos,
but lets be honest
ronnie and i totally love it too.

(picture from this and that blog)

sloppy joe casserole:

1 can sloppy joe mix
1 lb. hamburger
2 cans crescent rolls
2 C shredded cheese
sesame seeds (optional)

brown hamburger and mix in sloppy joe. line a greased 9x13 pan with one can of crescent rolls.  make sure to pinch all the pieces together when you unroll them. pour in half of the sloppy joe mix and spread. add a layer of shredded cheese. then pour in the last of the sloppy joe mix with another layer of cheese. top with the last can of crescent rolls (unrolled). sprinkle on some sesame seeds if you wish. bake at 350 until the crescent rolls are browned. (see directions on the crescent roll cans)

fast and yummy!

Thursday, September 27, 2012

clothes make the man.

when i met ronnie
i thought he was poor.
not that i cared,
it was just what i thought.

he drove a shitty truck,
lived in what i'll refer to as a mobile home
and wore hollister tshirts.
(sorry for all those still sporting hollister,
but really, after a certain age, it's not okay)

it wasn't until later that i realized that ronnie
had his shit together more than most 26 year olds.
and after he met me,
i introduced him to a big world beyond hollister.
"say hello to banana republic and j. crew, honey."
and he loved it.
ronnie has become quite the clothes horse.
worse than me. 
just the other day he said he thought
he needed to add navy dress pants to his wardrobe,
because the ones he has don't fit him the way he prefers.  
what a picky bitch.

and then i came home last night to ronnie doing his homework:


just when i thought progress was made.
you give him an inch,
he'll take a mile.


someone call security, some poor bum is in my house.


Tuesday, September 25, 2012

the farm life


ronnie and i went to illinois
for a long weekend
to see his mom and gma
and to attend a family wedding.

we had so much fun
and i wish we had a couple more days.
but the wedding was gorgeous
and all the small details were amazing.






but while we were there,
ronnie's mom threw a new option
out on the table for ronnie and i to consider.

would we ever want to live there?

to buy the farm.
to leave home.
to start a new home.
to leave my family.
to be closer to his family.
to try something new.

it's seven hours away.
but it's an amazing farm.




so basically, we don't have to decide right now,
but eventually they will be too old to care for the property
in the way it needs.
so if we would like, we get first dibs.

it's definitely something to consider.

Wednesday, September 19, 2012

twenty nine


last year, when i was just a young 28 year old, i made a list,
of 30 things i wanted to do before i turned 30.
it felt like i had a lot of time.
plenty of time.
now another year is gone
and my list is still long.
let's take a look:

1. visit another country - preferably australia or new zealand, but i won't be picky
2. do the splits
3. finish my basement and master bedroom
4. read 100 new books **
5. start a garden
6. run five 5Ks **
7. take 'fuck' out of my everyday language
8. find a new job
9. keep a gratitude journal
10. remember to compliment my husband
11. learn how to play the guitar
12. start a hat collection - and wear them
13. learn how to curl my hair - beside how i did in the 5th grade
14. secretly save $1200 for a gift for ronnie
15. train my babies - they really shouldn't be having accidents anymore
16. make dinner four nights a week
17. go to church regularly
18. let go of my grudges
19. be romantic
20. give up television one night a week
21. wear the lipstick i buy
22. find my inspiration
23. buy land or a new house
24. routinely exercise
25. see bob seger in concert
26. learn how to make a pie from scratch
27. share my blog
28. learn a new word a week
29. always be truthful - even when it's hard **
30. make a decision about having a kid

seven out of thirty.
not good.
i should technically be half way done.
whoops.
i better get on this.
but nonetheless, i celebrated my big 29th anyway.

first with some friends.


and then with my family




and finally with ronnie




and yes,
my birthday card was very weird
and mildly inappropriate.
really, ronnie?

so here we go,
start the count down
i have 365 days left in my 20's.

cheese-n-rice.




Thursday, September 13, 2012

jeepin'

this summer we took to the roads.


we take the top off our jeep,
pack our dogs
and go.


we're normally gone for a couple hours.
it's nice to talk to ronnie,
listen to music
and let our puppies run open fields.


sometimes we even let turnbow and lindsay come along for the ride
and madeline.
she loves looking for horses. 


most nights we end up at pleasant hill lake.
it's so pretty.
i really can't imagine a better way to spend summer nights.

so basically,
i'm suggesting everyone get a jeep.
even if it's just for the summer.





Sunday, September 9, 2012

shepard's pie casserole

its almost fall
which means the food in my house changes.
we leave the grill and deck nights
for chili, soups and casseroles.
a friend of mine at work passed along five new recipes and i made one last week.

you'll need:
1 lb. ground beef
1 pkg onion soup mix
1 can corn
1 can green beans
1 can tomato soup
1 box instant mashed potatoes
1 cup shredded cheese

brown hamburger with onion soup mix. spread out on the bottom of an 8x10 pan. drain corn and pour over meat. drain green beans and pour over corn. spread tomato soup over green beans. follow pkg directions for mashed potatoes and layer on top of tomato soup. bake at 350 for 30 minutes. sprinkle shredded cheese on top the last 5 minutes.

it's really simple and makes a lot for leftovers. i'd never had instant potatoes before and the weren't bad, but the recipe would be better with homemade potatoes and green beans out of the garden.






Wednesday, September 5, 2012

i can't make this shit up

ronnie hates reading,
so his vocabulary suffers.
lets just say we rely on a lot of expletives
to get us through the day.

so while we were out in a park with our dogs last week
ronnie makes this remark:

"oh louie, you're such an aphrodisiac"

ah, what?

me: um, ronnie do you even know what aphrodisiac means?

him: no...

me: well, you basically just said that louie turns you on.
geez, you creep. i hope you're not going around using this word in public.

 he felt stupid.
we laughed.
and then i made fun of him for the rest of the night.

holy hell.
someone get this man a book.




Tuesday, September 4, 2012

eden lou

she's here.
she's finally healthy
and home.
eden came out with a few difficulties
and had to be kept in the hospital
longer than planned.
and it's hard to see a little baby snuggled up with her parents
hooked up to machines
and not able to hold her.
so monday was a happy day.
monday was a family day.
and i was so happy for my brother, jaime, madeline and eden.
now a family of four.

Photo: she is perfection, even her little yawns. #edenlou


and i have to say, jaime might get to claim this one.
i don't see brian like i did with madeline.