Pinterest Fun: Crockpot Beef Stew

So, as I'm sure you've noticed, I've been spending lots of time checking out new recipes (and other fun activities) that I found on Pinterest.

So this week's Pinterest dinner was crockpot beef stew! This recipe was adapted from Marie's Cooking Adventures blog post - which was originally for pot roast... I just like stew better.

Ingredients:

1 pound of baby carrots
4-ish potatos
2-3 pounds of beef stew meat
Ranch dressing mix
Italian dressing mix
Brown gravy mix (I used lower sodium)
3 cups water
Flour
Olive oil

Feel free to add more meat/veggies for your family. This time, I only used 1.5 pounds of meat and that made about 5-6 adult-sized servings. You can also use beef chuck. This last time I couldn't find the beef for stew, and bought boneless short ribs, and diced it myself. Works just as well... just takes longer.

Directions:

1. Dice potatoes. Add carrots & potatoes to bottom of the crockpot.

2. Coat diced beef in flour, and brown in a pan with olive oil. Add to crockpot.
Note: This step is OPTIONAL.
(I take the time to do this because the extra browning adds more flavor, plus if the meat is already cooked when you start the crockpot, all the meat has to do is get oh, so tender!

3. Sprinkle all 3 seasoning packets to the top of the crockpot. Pour apx. 3 cups of water into the pot (more if needed).
Note: Yes, it is weird to have ranch dressing & Italian dressing mix in this stew. Just go with it. As it cooks and blends, it will taste amazing. I promise!

This is where it gets tricky for me...

4. Set the crockpot on high for 5-7 hours.
Note: I had it on high for 5 hours... It was all cooked, but not as tender as I would like. I then let it simmer more on low for another 2-3 hours. If you work, I'm sure setting it to low for 8-10 hours would work just as well.

I don't have pictures of the finished product, but it was delicious (and even better the next day!).

Happy Cooking!

Elf on a Shelf: You are Ruining My Christmas!

So, I'm a bit of a hum-bug when it comes to Christmas. Don't get me wrong, it's a great time of year, our kids swell with excitement, the house always smells yummy, and the *NSYNC Christmas album makes me grin like I'm 12 again.

(Oh, please! I know it's not just me!!)

But this new "tradition" is absolutely driving me insane! It actually makes me angry. Angry like politics makes me angry.

See, you buy this creepy dude, and then you hide him in your house every night (different places, of course, because having him out is simply not enough!). Then the really "awesome" moms (ones who aren't hum bugs, like me) actually do FUN things with them - put them in funny places, let them makes messes. All so your kids wake up the next morning, laugh for 30 seconds, and then you get to clean up the mess and do it all over again the next night. (Or maybe sometimes it's a threat for good behavior. Because SANTA himself isn't enough anymore, apparently.)

Oh, but it gets worse!

Then there's the compulsive need to take a picture of said Elf, and post it ALL OVER FACEBOOK. I wake up everyday and get the pleasure of seeing all these people's elves in their various mischievous, pre-meditated poses.

AND my Pinterest board is pin after pin of "ideas" of where to put this thing! He is called Elf on a SHELF, not Elf hanging from the ceiling fan, so why can't he just SIT ON A SHELF?!

As you have probably guessed, we do not and will not have an Elf in our house. I will simply tell my kids that Elves are only needed in houses with really naughty kids.

FINE... I get it. It CAN be a cute family Christmas tradition.

But let's think of the ones we already do just in the month of December (or for you really big over-achievers, November, too):

1) Christmas tree & decorations
2) House decorations outside
3) Baking Christmas cookies
4) Getting family pictures taken and/or pictures with Santa
5) Mailing Christmas cards
6) Christmas music
7) Christmas movies
8) Church services (if you're the religious type)
9) Exchanging gifts with family & friends
10) Visiting with family
11) Christmas meals

And let's not forget the biggest of all... SANTA!

Isn't that enough for us poor moms? Don't we have enough on our plates that we have to get done everyday? Why would you willingly pick up another one so you can make and clean up after it's messes?

If you like the "fun" tradition, by all means - enjoy it with your kids, and leave it at that. No one really cares to see pictures of it everyday, and just because you think it's cute doesn't mean every other person does.

And if you don't like it, please know that you are not alone!! You don't have to buy into traditions that you don't want in your house.

For now, I'll be deleting photos of the creepy Elf as they appear in my newsfeed.

Until next time...

Bah hum bug!

Black Friday & Other Awesome Deals

So... I can't resist an awesome deal, and it is both an amazing quality and a curse.

So basically, I love Black Friday. But not really.

I don't go out on Thursday, or even ridiculously early (anymore). I trudged out about 9am, hit a couple stores, and was sorely disappointed in what was left. I basically just go for cheap movies and home items, so I can't complain too much, but in the past I have gone around 2-3pm and all the movies I wanted were still around. Just saying.

My best deal of the day was at Kohl's.  They advertised a 10 piece Corningware set for 39.99 (regular 64.99).  And they still had it! I got a coupon on Thursday's paper for $10 off a purchase of $30 at Kohl's, so I took my 1 item, waited in line for at least 30 minutes, and while in line, found a coupon for 15% off, and it actually worked!!!

I paid $27.53 for the set, and there was a $20 mail-in rebate! Like paying $7.53!!!!

I then went to the BX on base and was able to price-match the Brave combo pack and paid $8.96 for it!

Annnnd I just ordered my contacts today... Hopefully they will arrive in time for me to get the mail-in rebate (worth $60, which is 6 months worth of contacts) in time!!!

Evelyn is 18 Months!

I cannot believe how fast this has approached... and how late I am!!! How did I ever write one of these every single month?!

On November 13, Evelyn turned 1.5 years old!

Here's some updates on Evelyn!

Evelyn is completely off bottles - even at bed time.

She learned how to take her shirt (and once or twice: her pants & diaper) off.

10/03/12. Woke up to a half naked (and proud!) girl!

She loves to dance. And flip. And climb. (Generally, things that gives mommy a near heart attack.)

She has recently started "singing" with certain songs.

She is getting pretty good at running.

She loves the mechanics of things: opening/closing doors, zippers, & buckles.

She uses items as they are meant to be. IE: Uses a comb to brush hair, holds phone to ear, etc.

10/25/12. After "dialing," she held the phone to ear and said, "Bye daddy!"

She picks up on everything! She will do the same dance moves as you, try to sing along with you, repeat your words, etc, etc.

She knows many body parts, esp. eyes, nose, ears, mouth, hair, cheek, etc.

She still uses her signs: please, thank you, more, all done, and help.

She has a few words she uses regularly and correctly: mama, dada, please, bye, hi, cup, cheese, crackers, bath, and diaper.

We are working on using our names when she needs us or our attention, and giving cups, plates, etc. to us when she is finished. Those are the biggest things.

In these last 3 months, we've had Grandma Kathy, Gammy, and Grandpa come visit us!

9/08/12. Walking around Garden of the Gods with Grandma Kathy!

10/19/12. Marveling the Red Rock Amphitheater with Grandpa!

We carved pumpkins.

10/21/12. She loved exploring the pumpkins!

We went trick-or-treating!!

Halloween!

Her 2 yr. old molars are starting to make our life miserable.

Evelyn definitely likes her routine, and changing things really affects her behavior and attitude.

We also went back home to visit family, too.

11/05/2012. Going down the big slide by herself! . Later that day, she had her first taste of apple cider donuts, and apple cider from Edward's Apple Orchard!

11/11/12. Visting with Great Aunt & Uncle Pat & Joe, and cousins Debbie, Alex, & Maddie.  

11/11/12. Playing with Auntie Laura!

Evelyn had her 18 month check up on November 14, 2012. She weighed 25.13 pounds (62%), and is 33.46 inches tall (92%)!

Pinterest Fun: Pumpkin Cupcakes!

So I have been attempting various recipes I've found off Pinterest. It's been really fun, and so far I think they've all been keepers, though some became instant faves while others not so much.

So here's a tid bit of my cooking excitement!

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Adapted from Sweet-Verbena, this recipe I'm was from my "Fall" pin board, meaning... PUMPKIN!!! I am, of course, obsessed with all things pumpkin, like most people this time of year, and lucky for me, I found the easiest most delicious recipe for pumpkin cupcakes!

Before the mixing.

This recipe calls for: 1 box of cake mix, 1 can of pumpkin puree. EASY PEASY! Upon reading the comments, I opted for a spice cake mix. Surprisingly, it really did mix well together!

Yes, my hand mixer is Tangerine. And I love it. Ask my husband.

I decided to thin out the batter (It was the consistency of amazingly awesome frosting.) with some skim milk (probably no more than 1/4c), and I added extra spices (Nutmeg, Allspice, & Cinnamon) because I like my pumpkin spice to be spicy!

Seriously could eat this uncooked. It was delicious.

I also forced all that batter into 1 cupcake pan, because I didn't have enough time for 2 - They don't expand, so it worked really well if you love HUGE cupcakes! (Note: I have also tried this recipe in "bar" form, which was also delicious. I mixed that batch by hand, and the texture was not as good - so I recommend using the hand mixer!)

Finally, I mixed up some confectioner's sugar & water to put a thin glaze of sweet over the top. It didn't look so pretty, but it was the perfect amount of sweetness. Also, this recipe would make an incredible dessert bread - it is such a moist, thick texture. It's just luscious.

Final product! You can't tell, but they do have a light frosting on them.

This was definitely a keeper!!! Everyone enjoyed this delicious snack/dessert, even the baby!

Kyle's ALS Graduation

It's finally here! He graduated from ALS (non-military read: Airman Leadership School) on October 18, 2012, the next part in his career training. He did fantastic, scoring very well on all his projects, speeches, tests, and PT tests. We are glad this is over with, so we can move on with our lives - and I couldn't be more proud of the work he put into this course.

It was a hectic few days, though. Wednesday, I picked up his dad from the airport, and Thursday I had 2 appointments, immediately followed by getting ready and heading to the ceremony. It was a fancy ceremony, dinner, drinks, the whole bit. And what girl doesn't like getting all dressed up, however stressful and time-crunched she may be?

The official pose as he's given his diploma.

With Kyle after the ceremony - it did not occur to me to take a picture of the room...

Kyle with his dad - number one comment as he introduced him? "Wow, you look so much alike!" or other various forms of the statement.

Family photo after we picked her up.

Eveyn with grandpa - had to pick this one!!

And let me just say... Getting my hair to be wavy like that took days of practice, an hour of crunching and shaping, about half a bottle of mousse, and hair spray!

Pinterest Fun: Crockpot Pulled Pork

I'm from GA. I can't resist me some good tastin' pulled pork! But when I found this recipe from Sweet & Savory Food, my mouth was watering. It was easy (the hardest part was picking the meat!) and every ingredient I love!

Ingredients List:

Pork Butt (sometimes called shoulder)
Lawry's Seasoned Salt
Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ Sauce
1 can of dark soda

Sweet Baby Ray's is from Chicago, and is a staple ingredient in my kitchen. Seriously. Ask my husband just how much we've gone through since we moved her (in July).

Ok, seriously. The first time I made this, I didn't know what I was doing picking the meat. I actually did better just randomly picking up something than choosing the meat originally called for. But maybe it was just packaged wrong, who knows. I grabbed a boneless pork roast (I think) the first time. Had no problems, shredded immediately, tasted fantastic, and had minimal fat. The second time I made this, I searched for a pork shoulder, and was disappointed in it. It had MUCH more fat than my liking, plus, it didn't shred... We had to pull it out of the crockpot, and cut/shred it by hand - a huge pain. And seriously? The amount of fat on this piece of meat was ridiculous. It kinda ruined the pulled pork for me.

So whichever you choose... good luck. The meat lady flat out told me no other meat would shred the way it should for pulled pork, but the roast seemed to work. So. Yeah. *shrugs*

This is so easy.

1) Coat meat with seasoned salt. Everywhere. As much as you want.
2) Add BBQ sauce.
3) Pour in dark soda of your choosing (I used throwback Dr. Pepper the first time.) You could honestly probably even use apple juice if you don't want to use soda.
4) Cover & cook on low for 4-5 hours (for 2-2.5 pounds)
5) Drain some of the liquid out, add more sauce if you like your sauce thick, and shred the meat. It SHOULD fall apart with minimum work.

I only have one picture because after it was shredded, I kinda forgot about the picture-taking thing.

It's REALLY good, and it's GREAT for company because you can do it ahead of time, and it can just soak in all the flavor while you do everything else.

We had so much left over last time that I don't think I'll be making it again any time soon - I still have a bag full in my freezer!!

Picture Frame Project

Moving to the other side of the world takes a (HUGE) toll on your things, especially things like picture frames...

This particular frame we bought at the BX in Germany, and the paint job was shotty to begin with... Add traveling 6000+ miles, and it needed an overhaul.

I decided to repaint the frame with glossy black acrylic paint, and paint the wires red for some color.  Little did I know that acrylic paint wouldn't stick to the wire so well (oops), but a million coats did the trick.

Also, turns out my "Bright Red" metallic paint was really more like hot pink. But at least it still goes with the theme!

Waiting for the paint to dry...

Hanging on the wall, finally!

It now lives in our bedroom above our bookcase, which just so happens to have engagement  pictures on it. And a couple stuffed animals Kyle gave me during our time in Germany.

Evelyn's New Room!

Well, a move from the opposite side of the world definitely has it's (major) stressors involved.

For instance, we still haven't hung everything on the walls, or bought all the curtains we need for this place, but we're getting there.  We also had to buy LOTS of stuff to get our kitchen re-stocked, and we needed some new furniture. Plus, Kyle started ALS (Airman Leadership School) and has been busy with class, PT 4x a week, and homework. Luckily, we've had some visitors to keep me company, and when my mom was in town, she helped me get some of the clutter gone, and get the "homey" stuff going!

Evelyn's room the day our stuff arrived!

Her room (like the rest of this place) was quite a mess for quite a while. Hell, let's be honest, there's still a LOT of mess in this place we are slowly going through! But a month or so after we got here, we decided to buy our daughter a dresser - she never had one in Germany, except a tall free thing Kyle found in the basement, so we decided we owed it to her to give her that. And when my mom was in town, she helped me find some of the details I had been looking for, and of course, get the room organized in a functional, cute way.

We went to Target one day, and came across a cute lamp... On clearance, of course! So cute, but would look better with some COLOR! So we went to Micheal's and purchased some acrylic paint, and I start painted!

Before...

After! The paint had glitter in it, just to give it a little something extra!

Evelyn's room after it's been rearranged.  We still have not hung her stuff, but  that's just b/c we can't decide where we want everything!

I survived my first yoga class!

But just barely.

I finally worked up the courage to embarrass myself shamelessly and attend a (free!) yoga class at the rec center on base. I was told you could start at any time - even beginners. I had taken a short beginning class a couple years ago with my mom, and you know, frequently did yoga using my Wii Fit (It was my favorite part of that game!)

Boy, that class was NOT for beginners!

Had I never taken a class before, I would've likely walked out. I swear, every other move was downward facing dog, which combines all things I do not have: arm strength, balance, and keeping my heals on the ground (aka: flexibility in the legs).

Downward facing dog.

I'm the person who can't even touch my toes (Seriously. Never could, either.), and I'm pretty sure there's something wrong with my calf muscles, because I can never stretch them without pain... But it was good, it was fun, and the best part about yoga? Everyone's so busy focusing on his/herself (yes, there were a couple guys in that class) that they fail to notice how horrible the person next to them is doing.

Now to turn this into a habit!

Evelyn is 15 months!

Well, it certainly has been a while since our last update! Evelyn is now 15 months old, and thriving! Here are some fun facts about Evelyn!

Evelyn on her birthday. May 13, 2012

That is egg in her nose, by the way! August 10, 2012.

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Evelyn likes to color - the first time, she tried to eat the crayons, but now she's a pro, and still deciding which hand she prefers.
She eats adult food - typically breakfast, snack, lunch, snack, dinner, depending on how the day goes.

After her high chair was back! July 6, 2012

She does not seem to enjoy much meat, but esp. does not chicken & hot dogs.
She wants to feed herself! Sometimes she is ok with help, but not until after she's tried it herself!

Feeding herself yogurt! July 9, 2012

She drinks out of a sippy cup! Yay! Except at bed time - she still gets the bottle then, because with the chaos of moving, that was a huge comfort to her.
She loves pasta!

Eating Grandma Kathy's penne pasta. June 18, 2012

She is usually very good at communicating. She knows the signs for "more," "food," and "milk." We are working on "hungry," "please," & "diaper."
She talks. A LOT. She tries to say many words (and stories) - she is definitely trying to say milk, cup, diaper, and says, "this" "that" "baby" "bye bye."

Waving bye bye! August 7, 2012

She understands many words - if you ask her to find her cup, or certain toys, she will look for them.
She will go to her high chair when it's time to eat, and follow very basic instructions.
She loves being in the water!

Going down the water slide with daddy. May 29, 2012 

She loves praise, and is very offended when you correct her.
She loves to drop things on the floor to see what happens.
She LOVES to give cuddles & kisses to mommy, daddy, or toys with faces, or even books!

This is Violet. She loves Violet! June 10, 2012

She enjoys reading books - she turns the pages and babbles as she "reads."
She is very good at climbing up the stairs while holding mommy or daddy's hand. Down, she has a bit more trouble.
She loves to dance - which now includes going in circles (until she falls down).
She sleeps about 12 hours at night - goes down between 9-10pm and awakes between 9-10am.
She takes 1 nap in the afternoon, anywhere from 1.5 - 3 hours.

She loves that she gets to sleep in her crib again! August 7, 2012

She has 16 teeth, including all 4 of her molars. Yikes!

She wears size 4 diapers, and clothes anywhere between 12 months & 24 months, depending on the brand.
As of 8/17 she weighed 23 pounds 7 ounces, and stands tall at 31.7 inches!

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We took vacation back home while moving, and got to visit lots of people and places! Evelyn is such a loved little girl!

We went to the zoo with Grandpa & Granny Jo, Aunt Hannah & Uncle Jack, and Auntie Laura & Grandma Kathy.

She loved checking out the animals! June 14, 2012

She visited some great aunts on mommy's side of the family.

She stole my aunt's walker, thinking it was her own personal toy! Thankfully, my aunt got a kick out of it! June 18, 2012

We visited LOTS of people at a birthday/welcome home party we had. Evelyn was a little stressed by the large group of people, but we managed!

5 generations of the Hall family! June 9, 2012

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And because these are too cute not to post!

Wearing daddy's jacket. August 3, 2012

Climbing in the kennel at Gammy's house. June 11, 2012.

Showing off a new outfit. May 25, 2012

Sharing a birthday cupcake with daddy! May 30, 2012

Lovin' on her dolly! July 24, 2012

Weekend Update!

Friday

After a (sarcastic) fun day, we made dinner, put the baby to bed, and watched the new "Footloose" movie. I was skeptical, but it was the only thing in the Redbox in the middle zone of movies we both had the potential to enjoy. Actually, pretty good. Kenny Wormald, who plays Ren, kind of reminded me of a cross between the brooding look of Johnny Depp circa the original 21 Jumpstreet & the confident & cool James Dean in "Rebel Without a Cause." It was enjoyable, though definitely not as good as the original.

However, the most exciting point of the movie for me was when Ren had to appear in court. Why, you ask? Because as they walked out of the courthouse, got into the truck, and drove away, I paused the screen immediately, pointed at the screen, and said to my husband (very excitedly, I might add), "I know that place! That looks like that place in Stone Mountain! I could swear that's the place! I have to look this up!" And sure enough, it was.

Apparently, it's an old train depot in Stone Mountain, GA.

This tiny town I spent years walking through, driving through, meeting friends in, going to church in, was part of the movie. I rewound it and watched it again. (My husband laughed at me.) I haven't been back to GA since 2009. Well, not outside of the airport, anyways. It was so exciting to tell him that I drove down that street everyday to & from school. Well, more liked crawled in stop & go traffic, but who's counting?

Saturday

We went to a mall a little further out called the The Southlands, which is an ourdoor mall, and walked around in the evening since it's still been so hot during the day. It's a gorgeous mall - and I got to have some delicious bubble tea from Bobalicious Tea House! KR was given a gift card at his welcome briefing, so I used it to get to some icy mango tea, with lychee filled boba & regular sweetness.

And you thought Starbucks was difficult to order!

This is actually the tea I had in Kaiserslautern, Germany, but it's the same concept, and knowing me, the same flavors.

Sunday

We headed out early today. First stop? Starbucks since I had a free card to use, and hey, it's birthday week, so why not! Then we went to Kohl's to spend some Kohl's cash, and we were good and only bought the one item (though I found about a dozen more things I wanted): a memory foam bath mat for our bathroom. It is heavenly (and we will be buying more).

We got lunch from Sonic, and then we headed home!

Not very exciting, didn't get a whole lot done, but it was fun, and we did it together. 

...Just because she's cute! =)