Spring Fever

It seems like everyone has a touch of spring fever this month... And spring is still officially two days away! Every week this month has had gorgeous days... Days that make you want to go jogging outside instead of on that old treadmill you've been using. Days that give your mind that crafty feel and make your fingers itch to make something new...(so many ideas!)  Days where you throw some steaks on the grill and make everyone's mouth water in the neighborhood as the smell drifts their way. Days where you want to do nothing but be outside. Spring is giving us a sneak peak of how gorgeous she is going to be and everyone is finding ways to enjoy it!! 

You know the days that I'm talking about...

 

Birds chirping for the first time in months..

Fluffy cotton candy clouds floating in a perfect blue sky

Patches of green grass everywhere you look

Popcorn trees popping all around

Spring invigorates and reenergizes us after a long cold snowy winter. Throw open those window and let that warm air inside. Let it get those creative ideas flowing! Get your plants ready for this years garden! I know I am working on my first spring project and can't wait finish it! Try something different! Try something new! 

Spring makes us happy! Nice to everyone! We are more generous in our actions, thoughts and time. I have noticed this a lot on the days when spring is here  for a few days! Let's keep these thoughts and actions going! How are you going to enjoy spring?  

Recipes to make and make again!

So this past week I decided to try making a couple easy recipes that I put together in my head...... Let me just say that they both turned out DELICIOUS!! Like hubby and I both wanted more but we had already finished the pan delicious! But we are both excited to make them again!!

They are both super easy to make, although one is a little more prep work than the other. But they are both well worth the prep and cooking time! Both are comfort food, good for cold winter nights or snowy days stuck inside, especially if you are a big vegetable fan or simply go to the store before the store hits! One of these would also be delicious during the summer when you are trying to figure out what to do with all of those vegetables from the garden.... You know the really fresh, just picked, worked hard all summer to have them grow veggies!

Are you ready for this.....?

I'll go easiest, quickest recipe first!

Sausage & Potatoe skillet! 

Ingredients needed:

5-6 medium potatoes pealed and diced
1/2 package of kielbasa sausage
1/3 yellow onion diced
1 bell pepper color of your choice!
Lawrys seasoned salt,pepper and garlic powder to taste
1 TBS olive oil
Heat the oil in a skillet and once hot put your potatoes in and allow the to start cooking. Add in some
of your seasoning while these are cooking. Cover and let them keep cooking stirring occasionally
until almost soft all the way.

While your potatoes are cooking chop up your onion, sausage and bell pepper up. Once potatoes are about done add the rest of your ingredients to the pan and stir to incorporate them with the potatoes. Once again add seasoning to taste.  Once potatoes are all the way done and peppers and onion have softened you are ready to eat!!

This is a quick and easy recipe that takes about 30 minutes until you are ready to eat. Your prep work is done in two stages once with the potatoes and the rest while they are cooking! This will feed about 2 people! If you are really hungry add about 2-3 more potatoes, and more of everything else to have left overs! Which you will want!

Zucchini  Lasagna  

Ingredients 

3-4 medium zucchinis
1lb of ground beef
1 medium yellow onion
1 bag Italian blend shredded cheese
2 cans crushed tomatoes ( you will have sauce left over)
2 tbs minced garlic
1 can mushrooms
1/2 cup diced carrots
1 cup cottage cheese
Salt and pepper

Chop your oinion and split between your pan for the ground beef and your sauce pan for the tomato
sauce after adding a little bit of olive oil to pan first. Once onion starts to turn clear add in a teaspoon of garlic to each pan. Add ground beef, salt and pepper and cook until done the. Drain grease. Set Side until you layer your lasagna.  Add your crushed tomatoes to the sauce pan and let its simmer for about 15 -20 mins will adding salt and pepper before you simmer.

While your sauce is simmering cut your zucchini into strips. Turn your oven on to 400 degrees. Put your zucchini strips onto a cookie sheet and sprinkle with salt. Allow it to bake and draw some of the extra water out of the zucchini while your sauce ia simmering. After 15 minutes take your cookie sheet out of the oven.

Now you will begin to layer your lasagna!! Put enough sauce to cover the bottom of your cake pan and then put your first row of zucchini down. On top of the zucchini you will put some of your meat, shredded cheese, and your cup of cottage cheese. Put just a little more sauce on top of this and then layer with more zucchini. Now add your mushrooms, diced carrots ( any other veggies that you love!), the rest of your meat and zucchini, another layer of sauce and the rest of your cheese.

Bake for 45 minutes to one hour in the oven at 350. I covered mine and it became really soupy with
all he liquid from the veggies. I haven't tried it uncovered yet but uncovered might make it less soupy! But soupy or not it was SUPER DELICIOUS!!  This one will make enough for 4-5 people.

This lasagna would be fantastic with fresh summer veggies from your garden. If you don't want to use your oven in the summer get out your trusty crockpot and cook it on low!

I hope that you enjoy! We sure did! Just remember when you cook to add a little bit of your own flair! Be adventurous, try new things! I do and for the most part they always turn into something you love! 

Can't into can

I decided to make goals for 2015 that are ACHIEVABLE and REALISTIC. Everyone has different goals and different ways of achieving them. ( yes I know most people set up goals in January but its NEVER to late to make goals for yourself!!!) I challenge each of you to make goals for yourself and try everyday to reach them.

                There are different ways to achieve goals and I want to name just a few:

                                                

1.       Write your goals down! This way you can see them, keep yourself motivated and challenged to reach your goals. If you see them they are gentle reminders to stay focused and to just remember a month later what you want to accomplished!

2.       Dream Big!! Challenge yourself! Try something new, make a new hobby, do something that you have always wanted to do.  When you are making a goal that is  long term  make smaller goals inside of that goal! Keep yourself motivated to reach that big  goal by making smaller goals and reaching them! Check those smaller goals off when you reach them.

3.       Think realistically!!  Don’t make goals that you know you wont reach. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t dream big!! Always dream big!! Smaller goals inside of larger goals help you to stay on track and help reach that DREAM!

4.       Track your progress! You are more likely to reach your goals if you can see how far you have come since you started! Plus it keeps you motivated to see how far you can go!

5.       HAVE CONFIDENCE in yourself to make your dreams a reality! Don’t hold yourself back…You are your biggest obstacle to get over. Go for your dreams!

 

 

In challenging you to write down and chase your goals and dreams I want to do the same. So here goes!

      Read my scriptures every day! I always want to invite the spirit of Lord to be with me and by saying my prayers and reading my scriptures everyday I can achieve this easily!

      This blog! I started blogging a couple years ago and would get write once every few months. I want to change that! I want to write about something at least once a week… something that I did, something that happened, a recipe that I tried, a craft that was done, something that has inspired me! So in making this goal I renamed and redesigned my blog to Scribbles and Sketches! In keeping with the name I want to add pictures, something that I sketched out and add it along with the post. 

      Draw more! I want to start drawing again. In the game of life we all face we get busy with work, school, obligations, family and so many other things that sometimes we forget or say we don’t have the time to do the things we love! 

      Be more crafty!! I want to continue to learn and teach myself how to crochet and now also learn how to knit! There are so many things that I could make if I just took the time to figure out what to make and then make it! But I want to do more than just crochet and knit. I want to do other crafty things as well. This is also something that I can do with my mom and sisters!

      I want to get into shape! I just want to be more physically active. This is something that I work on while at work (for the time being) and also at home. Just going on walks or doing yoga is a great way to do this. I don’t always have to go down to the gym and do a work out. 

      Try new recipes! Make new recipes! Find recipes from other people! I LOVE cooking and want to experiment and try new things.

      Be more organized! Write down appointments, make lists of things to do for the day.

      Coupon more! I love looking at the ads and seeing what’s on sale and then getting and even better deal because I have a coupon for that item. Its fun to see how much you can save (side note: I am not an extreme couponer!)

 

Challenge and inspire yourself! Go for your dreams! 

Two years and counting!!

Two years ago this past weekend   i met the wonderful man who I call my husband, my life, my everything. How swiftly these two years have flown by, along with them so many moments of Joy, peace, happiness, love, along with frustration, lots of learning lessons like how to work as a team and compramise as well. I can't believe that two years have flown by since that day in Nauvoo Il. where we met at a YSA conference. The first night and during the middle of the first dance. Oh the smile and sweet memories that come from that first meeting. After spending time talking, Adam asked me to dance to a McJaguar song... haha its the first time I have ever turned a guy down who asked me to dance but quickly reasured him that I would dance with him on the next slow song. Adam in turn made a bet with me... If he could do a 360 and land it I would have to get out and dance with him. How glad I am that I lost that bet and then spent the rest of the time on the dance floor. 

     A wonderful weekend followed with a walk to the temple during the second dance, great lessons taught during our workshops, the giving of a jacket becuase I didn't check the weather before packing during our walk on the temple grounds, the shyness of holding hands for the first time and then a goodbye hug and an unsureness of what was going to happen. How grateful that I am that on the way home I texted him and asked "where are we leaving things?" his response " I don't see how it will work with the distance" and my reply of " I agree to disagree". How grateful I am that I asked that question and said, "I agree to disagree"

     And the rest..well the rest is history!  All during the following week we texted in-between his classes and homework. He came down for Thanksgiving after fly to Vegas to Nathan Powelson's wedding. We both knew before the end of the week that we were meant to be together forever. We even went and just looked at rings before he headed home. After he left I told my family that I knew Adam was who I was suppose to marry. 

     A long month later he was back on his way down for Christmas Break :) The day after he got here we went and bought my ring and then came the wait of seeing when he would propose. We went out one night and had rolondo's for dinner down town and then Adam wanted to ride the Ferris wheel that was just down the rode. So thats what we did. As we got there I had to go to the bathroom, Adam is forever grateful that I drank so much water at dinner. While I was gone he bought our tickets and then asked the lady working the Ferris wheel if she would stop at the top. After going around a couple times we stopped at the top...I thought it was to let more people on seeing as how we were the only two on there. That is where Adam proposed... at the top of the Ferris wheel. And it was perfect!! We came back down to cheers and applaluse, my family all there taking pictures, holding a dozen roses.

   We were married 6 months later on June 7th 2013. Some day I'll go into more detail about the time between December and June. And life has been so wonderful and happy ever since.

This weekend to celebrate our two years of knowing each other we went to the temple in OKC and had just a wonderful day, "car shopping" on the interstate, talking about the past two years and wondering what all the future holds for the two of us. After a wonderful time in the temple we headed back home to go to Olive Garden to celebrate. 

     We got right into the resturant and of all the empty tables, we sat at the same table , same sides that we sat on during our first date. I think we even ordered the same thing we had then too..

How grateful I am for these past two years and with much joy and love I look forward to the years to come. 

Tiny piece of paradise

Peaceful, beautiful, quite, the sound of  water running over rocks, wind running through the trees, the occasional car driving by, and yes right now some construction noise( to be done soon!!) I look out my window and I see trees, trees, a beautiful fountain( in the picture), beautiful landscaping, jogging and biking trails. 

All of this is at our new home. We were so blessed to be here in this wonderful place. We have a brand new, just finished building it apartment. Inside our apartment is just as wonderful. I have 33 cupboards..yes 33!! Just in the kitchen!!A beautiful kitchen with black, white and gray counter tops, tons of counter space! Two bedrooms both with walk in closets.. Awesome right?! And two full bathrooms. 

 I am so grateful to be living here. It's our own little piece  of paradise and I get to share it with my best friend!! 

Thoughts and things learned

Well it is that time.... The time that is coming to an end in our little attic apartment, our first home as a husband and wife. Looking back on all the things we have done and accomplished, the laughs and smiles, happy times of love and joy, learning how to work together when you do things differently, making each other always feel loved. Caring for each other, doing acts of service because all you want to see is them smile when you have it done already, tears when you get frustrated or upset and then the sweet feeling of forgiveness and peace that comes when you are in each others arms saying "I'm sorry" and " I love you".
           I know that I haven't done the best job of keeping you all up to date on our adventures this almost first year of marriage... Yes less than one month and I will have been married to my best friend, my confidant, my sweetheart, my eternal companion. But I am going to do better starting today!! I promise!

I have loved this past year. Everything that I have learned and loved. I have started new hobbies and found things that I want to do and become accomplished in. I want to sew more, be more crafty, make more scrapbooks (maybe someday I will make one of our wedding), I want to take more picture of us and what we do, I want to have some sort of a garden in every place we live... Starting with our next home. I love to cook more than I ever thought and most of my experiments turn out fairly well. I have started a cookbook of my own thanks to my wonderful family who had everyone who came to my bridal showers give me a copy of their favorite recipes to add along with recipes  remembered from my childhood and now ones that I make for our dinners.

One of my favorite things that we do together is going on walks. Walking around campus and different pars of town are wonderful. It is so beautiful up here in the spring. I love the moments that we get to spend with each other, no matter what it is we are doing. I treasure each one.

Catch up!

UHi everyone. 

It's been a while since I've posted but I'll catch you up on what has happened. 

First: found two jobs. The first is a part time nanny job and the second is a server/bartender at a country club. Odd mix I know..

Second:  Adam and I went on our honeymoon..... It was wonderful!! We went to niagra falls and spent two days there. Saw everything, rode the boat tours, climbed next to the falls and saw the fireworks. It was so spectacular. What a wonderful creation for us to enjoy. We had dinner at the restaurant that sits overlooking the falls..... View=amazing. Food=good( small menu with your everyday items like cheeseburgers and wraps on it but still good) the next adventure we had on our trip was a beautiful trip to upstate New York to a town called palmyra. Here we saw many church historic sites including Joseph Smiths home as a young boy until the time he moved to Pennsylvania and then came back for a time before going to ohio. We saw the printing site where the first Book of Mormon was printed and then had a quite picnic on the grounds of the palmyra temple. Such a beautiful time. The next leg on our trip took us to kirtland ohio for a couple hour with more historic church site and then on to Cleveland for a date at Olive Garden. Stuffed mushrooms, fried zucchini, salad, bread sticks and their never ending pasta bowls and we were stuffed!!.... Yes we only ate one bowl of pasta each but can you blame us? We did get another one to go though. After a nights stay in Cleveland we headed to a small town called Monroe Indiana to visit aunt Kate and uncle John ( Adams side). A day of boating and watching Adam water ski, knee board and tub was fun. He loves the lake! After grilling steaks that night we headed to bed and got ready for our longest drive yet.... To greenwood Arkansas!!! Three wonderful days with my family, seeing friends, school shopping for my siblings, a picnic and fishing at jack creek was a perfect way to spend time with my family. Then we headed home with a stop in chariton to see Adams family and my wonderful in-laws. After dinner and being loaded up with food and cookies we headed into the last 2 hours of our drive. It was good to be back in our bed after almost two weeks of hotel rooms and spare beds at family's homes. Our trip took us into Canada to make our drive shorter to niagra falls. 

Two countries,

Over 3000 miles

10 states

Lots of fun 

Spending time with family

Equals

Priceless!!!! 

Third: it's getting cooler outside!!!! In September I've drank hot chocolate, broke out the lighter jackets, cuddled under blankets. I'm definitely not in Arkansas anymore!! 

This has all ran from the beginning of August to the end of September. 

 This is the fourth thing that has happened. The weekend of September 20-22 Adam and I have know each other for one year now. I had to work that Saturday and found this waiting for me when I got home. Such a wonderful surprise from a loving husband.