Mutt Monday!

Has been cancelled.

On accoun'a I'm running on 3 hours of sleep, and last night when I came home at 2 am from being at the hospital with Ed's grandma again, Zoey decided to run from me and I had to chase her down the block.

We are not friends right now.

As always... don't forget to head on over to Two Dogs, A Girl, and a Husbands Grace to visit the founder of Mutt Monday, and check out who DID participate, and add your link to her Mr. Linky if you participated too!

Bliss...

This is how I spent my Saturday afternoon.

How did you spend yours?

Oh the joys...

Of owning your own home.

So the boyfriend and I moved into our first house about a year ago, and it has surely been an adventure! We started house shopping in July 2008, put in a few offers, walked away from a few of our options, searched high and low, and finally found "our" house. It then took us 6 months to CLOSE on our house. (loooooong loooooong story) From there... the fun began.

We (with lot's of help from our family!) ripped out walls,

tore down drywall, chipped up tile,

(plus tons and tons more fun stuff - like scraping popcorn off the ceiling)

and then put it all back together again

before we ever even moved in our toothbrushes. Just when we thought the fun was all over with.... we realized we had issues! It's just what happens when you OWN a home. Things get old, things break, and you are responsible. (and I wouldn't trade it for the world! I LOVE my house! Have I mentioned that I have a pool?!?!?!?)

There have been plumbing issues in this house for quite some time.... but we have learned how to avoid them becoming catastophies for the time being. For example, our guest bathroom toilet gurgles when the washing machine drains and sometimes suds even come up in the bowl. This is not a problem. The problem is when you FLUSH said toilet while it is gurling and suds are coming up into the bowl. At this point, the toilet overflows. It's joyous. Really. Our drains don't always drain at an optimal rate either. We had plumbers come look at it, and they were pretty much stupid and useless. Therefore, we have put these things off until the boyfriend has some time to do some research (and dish out some money of course) to fix the problem. When the drains plug up so bad that we can't deal with it, he cleans them out and pours some Draino in there until it works. It's a temporary solution, but it works.

So anyway, the point of this post.... The other day our air conditioning stopped working. It's 90 something degrees outside, and our cooling system SHUT DOWN. Gross. We thought it was just frozen from running too hard (and we may have possibly really needed to put in a clean filter). We shut it off for a while, and changed out the filter and it worked. YAY! And then the kitchen sink stopped draining. Not drained slow.... it stopped. Working air... plugged drains... no good. So we got some nasty drain cleaner stuff from Lowes to try. The stuff with the least pretty label is usually the most potent/commercial grade stuff right? Apparently so.... this stuff burned your nose from 10 feet away and started eating at the stainless steel of the sink! Ed votes we use the amateur stuff from now on. lol.... Anyway....He was able to fix the drain issue after a few hours of sniffing sulfuric acid and sweating his booty off on the roof. Yay! Working air, and working drains! Until.... about 3 am the next day. No more air. It was sooooooooooo stuffy and hot! I came home from school later that day and it was 89.5 degrees in here! Ed made a phone call to a buddy who does air and he was able to troubleshoot and figure out what it was. Unfortunately, we were going to have to go another night without a/c. Well... until McGuyver Jr. got a hold of it! Ed rigged some crap up that involved an industrial floor fan that we use in the garage and a yard sprinkler. Was it safe? Probably not... but we had a cool house overnight! He got the part to fix it this morning, hooked it up this evening, and we have working air!!!! It only cost 2 days without cold air and $92. Yay for a handy boyfriend!!!!! He's so awesome. We had plans to do stuff tonight, but he got a last minute call from a friend to go fishing instead.... so of course I let him go do that. He big time deserved it! I also forgot to mention that this weekend he spent almost all of his Sunday at my grandparents house helping my grandfather trim trees on his property, just because. He's the bestest. And to think... he thinks I'M the best for letting him cancel our plans and go fishing. That was easy compared to everything he does! (but we won't tell him that, he might let it go to his head)

I'll be sitting alone on my couch tonight blog stalking, eating whatever I scrounge up for dinner, and studying. But at least it'll be in the a/c!!!!!!!!

Mutt Monday!

Once upon a time... My Zoey monster was afraid of the pool. The farthest she would go was the step, and then bark at the water. Then she progressed... and she would only go in if we went in first and told her it was okay. And now......

She swan dives...

Or maybe I should say "frog dives"

She retrieves her toys proudly

And brings them to her mommy for more!

She's such a big girl! She even switched today to big girl food!

(no more puppy chow for this mutt!)

As always... don't forget to head on over to Two Dogs, A Girl, and a Husbands Grace to visit the founder of Mutt Monday, and add your link to her Mr. Linky if you participated too!

Another Bargain!

One of the sites I check daily is Slickdeals.net. They have all KINDS of special offers, and new stuff every single day.

The boyfriend bought some new running shoes the other day, and they were buy one, get one 50% off at Rack Room Shoes. Being that we were both in need of some new sneaks.... The deal was, he was going to pick out a pair, and then I would get a pair. BUT they didn't have his size in the pair he wanted. What did he do? He wound up going shopping without me one day at another location and bought 2 pair for himself. STINKER! I pouted, and he offered to buy me a new pair of sneakers too :) yay! Being the frugal one... (even though I wasn't paying) I had been shopping around online for a pair that I liked. We have both decided that there is nothing more comfortable than NB. Soooooo, when a 65% off clearance at Joe's New Balance Outlet popped up yesterday on Slickdeals, I had to take advantage of it!!! Plus, shipping is only $2.95!!!!!

So... last night, the boyfriend bought me these babies! :)

for a grand total of $41!!! Including shipping!!! (way cheaper than his by the way....)

Thanks Honey!!! You're the bestest!!!!

Nerd Alert!

Remember my post about Barnes and Noble's big sale the other day? Where I just couldn't resist a bargain? In case you forgot, it's here.

Anyway. I got my loot of new bargain books yesterday!!!!

5 books for $14! I'm so stoked. I added up the actual cost of these books, and it totaled over $60! That's just crazy!!! Oh, and btw.... there is NOTHING wrong with these books. I have no idea why they were classified as "bargain books". They have a line of black marker on the ends on them, but that's about it. They are in perfect condition!

Yay for bargains! and book worms :)

I win, I win!

I'm so excited! I won a giveaway!

Deals, Steals, and Heels was giving away a Tervis Tumbler and some way cool summer themed coasters (that she hand made!) in honor of her birthday, and I won! YAY!

( I picked one with cute pink and blue flip flops on it!!!!)

How cute are these coasters?

I'm so excited!!!!

THANKS AGAIN!!! AND HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!

Thank you Arby's

Generally speaking, I am a pretty healthy eater.... In this house we eat a lot of veggies, we try and eat low carb, and good carbs, salads with dinner on most nights, etc etc.... Well lately, I have been a total fata**. I have been CRAVING junk. We got into a little funk around here, and stopped eating so healthy, ate more convenience foods, and *gasp* got used to it! I am so used to it in fact, that I am not craving my healthy food addictions anymore. Until today of course. I would like to thank Arby's for putting an end to my junk food binge. I'll take salads for the rest of my life now, please.

I was up late studying last night, and didn't get around to packing my lunch for school. I thought I would wake up this morning and do it, but definitely woke up too late for that. (If you know me in real life, you probably know that this is not a surprise....) Anyway, during lunch today I had to run over to Office Depot, and Arby's is in the same parking lot.... and it's fast.... and a chicken sandwich of some sort sounded good.... and I'm a fata**.... so there I went.

I can't tell you exactly why it was bad. It just was. Or maybe I was just over the junk food thing before I even knew it. The only reason I was even able to finish it is because I was STARVING. Whatever the case may be.... I'm done. Over it. No more junk for me please. I'd like to go back to my old self.... my salad eating, whole grain gobbling, carrot munching, cottage cheese loving self. Any maybe even get my booty back in the gym!!!!!! (hahahaha...)

Oh, and a fun fact about Arby's: the company I used to work for processed their W2's.... Their company actually goes by the name Sybra. Ya know... Arby's spelled backwards? Won't tell ya how long it took me to figure that one out ;-)

Mutt Monday!

I know I've shared with you before the many hilarious ways that our puppy sleeps... but this pretty much tops them all. Well, except maybe the whole sleeping while sitting up thing. I just don't get it. This is NOT normal!

As always... don't forget to head on over to Two Dogs, A Girl, and a Husband's Grace to visit the founder of Mutt Monday, and add your link to her Mr. Linky if you participated too!

Weekend Wrap Up and a Recipe!

Wow... my weekend wrap up pretty much starts on Thursday! We didn't wind up going out to dinner like planned. Ed had to work late :( so we heated up the rest of the hamburger corn casserole before heading down to Riverfront to see Transformers!!!!! The movie was pretty awesome. There was so much going on that our heads were all over the place trying to take it all in! It didn't help that we had to sit a little close for an IMAX because it was so crowded. After the movie (since we still had time on our parking spot) we walked around downtown. We took a stroll down by the Intercoastal waterway, and did some people watching as all the bars down there were beginning to fill up for the night. All in all, we had a great time, and decided that we really should do it more often!!!

Unfortunately, the boyfriend did wind up working on his birthday :( So I slept in like a lazy bum, and then I got up and did some things around the house, and made Cheesecake Brownies! I cheated and used a brownie mix.... but who cares... lol

Basically, all you do (if you cheat, like me) is mix up the brownie mix... and then in a separate bowl mix up 8 oz. of softened cream cheese, with 1/3 cup of fine sugar, and 1 egg.

Yum! Brownies.....

and then... you spoon the cheesecake mixture on top of the brownie mixture in the pan.... and run a knife through it for a marble effect.

And then it looks like this!

The directions said to bake it for 40 minutes at 350 degrees. Let me tell you, it was NOT done in 40 minutes. I put it in for over an hour and kept checking it. Finally, the top seemed firm, and a tootpick came out clean. HOWEVER, if I were to make this again, I would put it in a larger pan so that the brownie mixture was thinner and it would take less time to cook. When we cut into it later, I realized that there was a pocket in the middle of brownie that didn't cook all of the way. His sister said that part was yummy and she actually thought it was a fudge swirl, hahahaha. It was much better the next day after it had sat in the fridge all night.

Anyway... so his birthday wasn't really all that exciting. We had dinner at his parents house and his older sister made a few smart comments to him as soon as she walked in the door that pretty much put him in a funk for the whole night. By 9:45 we were home and he was ready for bed. :( Oh well... at least Thursday night was fun!

On Saturday I did some miscellaneous stuff, and took Zoey to the dog park for a while to burn off some energy! Ed invited me to the station for dinner. (He was cooking Chicken Piccata - sooooo good!) I headed down there around 6, and didn't wind up leaving until after 11! Another spouse had come down as well, and after we stuffed our faces with yummy food, we walked outside and saw some fireworks and then came in and curled up in the recliners and watched a movie with our boys. I wasn't expecting to be able to spend the holiday with him, and I'm really glad I did! It was really nice! They also got lucky and were only called out to one call when we were there! Yay! I had been invited to multiple events because everyone knew Ed had to work and nobody wanted me to be alone (awww) but I gladly declined all offers to stay with him. It was much safer than being out on the roads, thats for sure! I headed home when the movie was over, and that was that!

Sunday was homework day again... and Ed did some pressure cleaning on our patio and sidewalks and stuff. BORING..... Oh, but then we went to my mommy's house so her and my step-dad could give him their gift. Yummy garlic pretzels, and shots of tequila always put a smile on Ed's face....

Hope everyone had a nice holiday weekend, and not too awful of a Monday!

Happy Fourth of July!

(source)

Fireworks on Fort Lauderdale Beach!

Hope everyone has a safe and Happy Fourth of July!!

I am heading off to the fire station in a bit to have dinner with the boyfriend, the boys, and some of the other spouses. YUM! And then who knows... I have been invited to about 5 different events, but have made no definite plans. We'll just see what floats my boat after I stuff my face!

I know I still owe you a post about cheesecake brownies and Ed's birthday. Let's just say that neither turned out real great so you aren't missin' much, but I will post about it at some point!

It's a bargain!

And we all know I can't resist a bargain!!!

Barnes and Noble is offering free shipping on orders of $10 or more! I just ordered 5 books for $14! The offer is only good until tomorrow, so check it out!!!! I also used the offer code J3W3F8B for 10% off of the highest priced item. It only saved me 40 cents... but still, I saved! I ordered all of my books off of the "Bargain Priced" list, so they were each less than $4. Supposedly the books on that list are slightly damaged and therefore they can't sell them in the stores for regular price, but I assume they are still readable, and that's all that matters really. I'll let you know what kind of condition they are in when they come in.

I'm also thinking about starting to use Bookmooch from now on to satisfy my book addiction. They are just too expensive to buy and let them sit on a shelf when I'm done with them. This way, when I'm done, I can just trade them online for something else I want to read! I figured buying bargain books would be a great way to build up my future trading collection. Have any of you ever used Bookmooch or something similar?

Things I love Thursday

It's been a long time since I did one of these..... This week I have lots of things to love though!

First off... I love the boyfriend!

(last year, on his birthday)

2. I love celebrating birthdays. His is tomorrow, and it will be about the 10th birthday I have celebrated with him - wow! We have only been dating for half of that, but I have been at least sending/giving him cards for 10 years!

(his birthday last year... he is showing off his birthday brownie that my mom made him)

3. I love date nights! In honor of his birthday, and just because, we are going down to Ft. Lauderdale tonight for dinner and to see Transformers 2 in IMAX! I'm so excited! He's never been to the IMAX, and I've never seen a real movie there, and we haven't been to the movies in MONTHS!

4. And... completely un-related..... I love getting good grades! I got a 92 on a test today and I'm pretty happy about it.

Giveaway alert!

It's more way cool summertime stuff! This time Deals, Steals, and Heels is hosting a giveaway in honor of her birthday, and she is giving away a Tervis Tumbler of your choice and some awesome coasters that she made. Check it out!

Recipes and pictures....

Last night I tackled way more of my plans than I thought. I managed to whip up the key lime pie, hamburger corn casserole, AND guacamole! I think the brownies will wait until Friday. I am so excited, I have a day off of school! I'll have plenty of time to do whatever....and then that night we are going to his parents house for dinner, so I'll bring them with us for dessert.

As promised... here are the recipes and pictures of my concoctions.

Hamburger Corn Casserole

(this recipe is one handed down to me from my mom, I don't know where it came from before that, but it is one of my childhood favorites!)

Ingredients:

• 1 - 1 1/2 lbs of ground beef or turkey (I used a half lb of each)
• 1/2 of a green pepper
• 1/2 of an onion
• 8 oz. can of tomato sauce
• 8 oz. (about 1/2 bag) of frozen corn
• Chili Powder Seasoning
• Salt
• Pepper
• Tostitoes/corn chips (I use the whole grain ones because they are SUPER yummy!)
• Shredded cheddar cheese (do NOT use lowfat cheese.... it doesn't melt right and it's gross. Trust me, we've tried)

Directions:

1. Dice up 1/2 of the green pepper and onion and add to the ground beef in a large skillet, brown well.
2. Add salt, pepper, and 1-2 teaspoons of chili powder (to taste)
3. Add tomato sauce and corn, and simmer until heated through.
4. Pour into a large casserole dish. (at this point, I let the mixture cool, and put it into the fridge because we were not yet ready to eat, but I wanted it to be quick to finish when we were...)
5. Break up chips to bite size pieces and spread over the top of the beef mixture.
6. Cover with shredded cheese and bake at 350 degrees until cheese is melted. (this part can also be done in the microwave)

I only covered 1/2 of the dish because I knew we would only eat that much... and then I could put the rest in the fridge and it will be super easy to heat up without having to worry about soggy chips! I'll just add chips and cheese to that half when I'm ready! YUM! It was sooooo good. This amount feeds us twice, so it's about 4 servings.

While I was working on this.... I was also working on my Guacamole! Or as mom calls is... Avocado Dip

Guacamole

(another one from Mom....)

Ingredients:

• 2 ripe avocados
• 1/2 cup finely chopped onion
• 1-2 finely chopped jalapeno peppers (I usually use the pre-chopped ones in the jar... this time I had some ones in my freezer from his mom's garden that I used)
• 1-2 teaspoons of lemon juice
• pinch of salt
• pinch of pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon of garlic salt
• miracle whip
• 1 medium tomato

Directions:

1. Scoop out avocado with a spoon into a large mixing bowl
2. Mash it up (I use a potato masher)
3. Blend all ingredients together, except for tomato and miracle whip
4. Add enough miracle whip to make it really creamy (I used a little too much this time, but it's pretty safe to start with about 2 large tablespoons and then add more to taste)
5. Stir in chopped tomato
6. Chill, and hide from my boyfriend who proceeded to eat the entire container when he got home from work. I may be making more of this before the week is over.

Now... on to the Pie!!!!

Key Lime Pie

(this recipe comes courtesy of my godmother. I've never had a better Key Lime Pie than hers!!)

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup key lime juice
• 1 can sweetened condensed milk
• 1 package of Philly cream cheese (softened to room temperature)
• 2 egg yolks
• 1 regular size graham crust pie shell

Directions:

1. Combine by hand the 1/2 cup of key lime juice with 1 can of condensed milk and set aside.
2. Combine by beater (or whisk if you are lazy like me) the cream cheese and the 2 egg yolks.
3. Combine by hand the key lime mixture and the cream cheese mixture until smooth.
4. Pour into pie crust
5. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes
6. Cool for 30 minutes
7. Cover and refrigerate
8. Top with cool whip if desired.... (I used a large crust and would normally put some cool whip around the edge to fill in the gap between the filling and top of the crust to make it look pretty)

I let Ed take it to work with him today to share with the boys at the firehouse so I don't get to sample it, but I'll let you know if it was a success.

Whew... that was a lot. Hope you all enjoy! Let me know if you try any of these!!!