Valentine's Day Idea

Tuesday, January 31, 2012

While reading a link from
 Ann Voskamp
(One Thousand Gifts)
this morning
I came across this.
It's from DaySprings
I'm ordering for my hunny.
Maybe you should too :)

xo 

Movies and More

Saturday, January 28, 2012

Already one month into the new year and 
I'm already too busy.
Some warranted
Some Not
My goal for 2012 was to quit being so busy
enjoy MORE down time
Pray more
Meditate some
Chill 

This weekend I think I'll do just that

I may stay in these all day


 Drink a little of this


Watch some favorite old movies I've seen 100+ times 



 A new movie I can't wait to watch (bad pic sorry)


And read this



All of these pics are from Pinterest which will probably occupy a lot of my time as well. 

That's my weekend plans blogger friends.
Hope yours is great.
xo


Feed My Family Friday

Friday, January 27, 2012

Linking up to Farmgirl Paints - Feed My Family Friday


 Farmgirl Paints


Buffalo Chicken Casserole

1/2 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch strips



  • 1/3 c. Buffalo sauce
  • 5c. potatoes, grated w/ box grater (smaller grate)
    1 c. light ranch dressing/ blue cheese
    1/2 c. cheddar cheese, shredded
  • (10 oz) condensed cream of chicken soup (I used low sodium)
  • 1/2 c. panko

    1. Heat oven to 350°F. Spray 13x9-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
    2. In medium bowl, stir together chicken strips and buffalo sauce. Spoon into baking dish in a single layer.
    3. In the same bowl, stir together potatoes, dressing, cheese and soup. Spread over chicken. Sprinkle panko evenly over the top.
    4. Cover with foil. Bake 30 minutes; uncover and bake 25 to 30 minutes longer or until potatoes are tender and juice of chicken is no longer pink when centers of thickest pieces are cut.

    This dish was not really low fat but I did substitute the reduced fat cheese, soup, etc. where I could.   Of course I used Beef O'Brady's buffalo sauce - just happened to have it handy ;)

    Enjoy
    xo

    A Winner Of The Prayer Books

    Thursday, January 26, 2012

    Thanks to everyone who commented on my little giveaway.
    I'm excited to share these books and some Valentine goodies with the winner.

    I'm not a tech savy blogger - so I printed the comments,
    put them in a bowl,
    and drew a name :)

    Tara from Between You and Me
    is the winner. 

    Between You & Me



     
    xoxo

    Blue Sky and A Little Giveaway

    Friday, January 20, 2012

    It's is a beautiful day in Tampa Bay
    This is seriously a pic I took on my
    phone this morning
    The sky was perfect
    Not a cloud in site.
    A brisk 51 degrees
    Doesn't get much better than this!




    I'm hosting a little giveaway.
    My first.
    It's a set of Prayer Books
    Donated by my non-blogger friend Barb.
    Her Church had an abundance of them
    and I am totally obsessed with them.

    31 Days of Prayer
    31 Days of Praise
    Psalm 91 God's Umbrella of Protection

    So I want to share with a blogger friend.
    Just leave a comment and I will announce the
    winner next Wednesday.

    "Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances;
    for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." -1 Thes 5:16

    Yay Shannon - American Idol....You Made It!

    Wednesday, January 18, 2012

    So so so happy!
    My daughter's friend made it to Hollywood!
    Tonight on American Idol.
    A hometown Tampa Girl.
    Auditioned in Savannah, GA 


     Here is a pic we took of the TV screen!
    Here is Shannon and Savannah at Sav's 15th birthday party last year.
    We had the party at our Beef O'Brady's restaurant.
    We have karaoke on certain nights.
    Shannon stole the show at the restaurant.
    8 months later she is stealing the show on Idol.
    Way to go sweet girl.
    We will be voting for you!


    Playing Along the Answer Game

    Monday, January 16, 2012


    One of my favorite bloggers Tiffini at  The House of Belonging tagged me in a post.  You are supposed to answer questions about yourself, ask bloggers that you tag questions and tag them.  Hope the ladies that I tagged will play along.
    I don't have 11 bloggers that I feel comfortable tagging, so I'm just tagging a few :)
    I loved reading about Tiffini - it's fun to know a little more about our online friends that God has connected us with.

    ::The Rules::
    one\ post the rules.
    two\ post eleven fun facts about yourself
    three\ answer the questions the tagger set for you in their post, and then create eleven new questions to ask the people you’ve tagged.
    four\ tag eleven people and link them on your post
    five\ let them know you’ve tagged them!

    ::Facts About Me::

    1.  I have two children.  One is almost 19 Yikes and the other is 15.
    2.  I LOVE my family more than anything. 
    3.  My heart broke when my son left for college but it's healing.
    4.  My husband and I own sports restaurants and bars but we don't drink. (I think that contradicts itself - LOL )
    5.  I have three groups of best friends, cheer moms, Red Hot Chili Peppers (my girls that I worked at Chili's with 26 years ago) and Girls Night Moms (our kids have been in school since kindergarten together). I'm a lucky girl.
    6.  I have the best parents in the world that are always there for me and my family.  One sister who is also my best friend.
    7.  My husband is also my best friend - married for 21 years. 
    8. I light candles everyday and I'm addicted to Bath and Body Works plug ins.
    9.  I am a Native of Florida and have never lived anywhere else.
    10. I'm most happiest when my toes are in the sand.
    11.  I have a really bad cleaning problem and terribly OCD.
    .

    ::Questions From Me The Blogger Who Tagged Me: 

    1. favorite color

    Pink


    2. dream vacation
    Ireland with my family

    3. are you a hugger or not
    I'm a big hugger - I hug everyone - even people I just met.

    4. what do you want to be when you grow up
    The best mom and wife possible.

    5. when you eat out do you usually order dessert
    No - If I didn't always worry about my weight I probably would.

    6. what is your favorite indoor/outdoor activity
    indoor - organizing (weird I know) and doing Nails with Sav
    outdoor - planting and working in garden


    7. what is your favorite day of the week
    Sunday - my father-in-law comes for breakfast after mass.
    And we go to mass as a family.

    8. what was your favorite food as a child?
    Chicken and Dumplings

    9. what is something you learned this last week
    How much my husband loves God
    (he just returned from a wonderful men's retreat with our church -
    I mean I knew he loved God but this week it's so apparent)

    10. If you could change your first name what would you change it to
    Grace

    11. Do you have a nickname
    Sher-bear (from my best friend Shannan and my daughter Savannah)

    ::Questions To My Bloggers I'm Tagging::
    1.  What is your favorite food?
    2.  What are your hobbies besides blogging?
    3.  Are you addicted to Pinterest?
    4.  What is your dream vacation?
    5.  What's your favorite season?
    6.  Can you recommend any good books?
    7.  Do you like to exercise?
    8.  What's your typical date night?
    9.  Are you a DIY'er or do you hire people to do it for you?
    10.  What color is your kitchen?
    11.  What's your dream car?


    Here's the lovely bloggers I'm tagging:

    Kissing the Joy as it Flies

    Perfect is Boring

    Pink Martinis And Pearls

    Upon a Dream

    So So Bella


    xoxoxo




    Relax a little - it's a new year!

    Wednesday, January 11, 2012

    This morning started off on a good note.
    Sav got up on time, got ready on time
    got in the car happy!
    They don't all start this way.
    We have a 30 minute drive.
    We left an hour before school started
    to stop and get breakfast.
    That didn't happen.
    It was SLIGHTLY raining.
    5 wrecks from our house to school.
    FIFTY FIVE MINUTES
    She literally had 4 minutes to get to class
    without breakfast.
    As I started to panic a bit
    Sav reminded me that there was nothing we could do about it
    To chill.  No lie.
    She also reminded me that it's a new semester
    so it really didn't matter if she was tardy
    Awe to be 15 and stress free.
    So after she got out of the car I laughed
    and agreed that there really was nothing I could do
    and did it really matter if she was 5 minutes late
    other than she would miss morning prayer at school :) ?

    My new years resolution was to slow down
    not sweat the small stuff
    quit being so busy

    I think God may have been reminding me this morning



    My Pinterest Party

    Tuesday, January 3, 2012

    Last night was fun.
    A lot of fun.
    I hosted a Pinterest party with my favorite pinners.
    Everyone made a food item that they previously "pinned" and brought it.
    They also brought craft supplies to make something they "pinned".
    Check out our creations below.
    Happy Pinning.





















    Day 1 Photo Challenge

    Monday, January 2, 2012

    A picture of me


    (and my sweet mamma) 

    January in Photos

    Monday, January 2, 2012

    This was posted from House of Smiths.  What a fun idea.  I'm gonna try it :)

    Peace in 2012

    Sunday, January 1, 2012

    Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.
    Where there is hatred, let me sow love.
    Where there is injury, pardon.
    Where there is doubt, faith.
    Where there is despair, hope.
    Where there is darkness, light.
    Where there is sadness, joy.
    O Divine Master,
    grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled, as to console;
    to be understood, as to understand;
    to be loved, as to love.
    For it is in giving that we receive.
    It is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
    and it is in dying that we are born to Eternal Life.
    Amen.

    Happy New Year - A Baptism, A New Beginning

    Sunday, January 1, 2012

    Last night we rocked the house of Jesus.
    Witnessed a Baptism at MIDNIGHT
    A life long friend.
    My husband's  friend from childhood was baptized.
    Another childhood friend was the pastor.
    His little "rocking" church.
    Submerged under water.
    (a little different for us Catholic folks)  
    An hour and half from home.
    A foggy drive all.the.way.there.
    But wow, is all I can say.
    What an experience.
    What a way to bring in the New Year.
    We sang, we prayed, we hugged it out.
    Then they served us  breakfast.
    Right in the basement of the little church.
    Tin pans and paper plates.
    Eggs, Grits and Bacon never tasted so good.
    Happy New Year and May God Bless You All BIG.

    xoxo

       The church.

     Pastor Williams
         My husband and some little girls from the church.
         My sweet husband and a new friend.
         A welcoming church!
         Here we go!




         Praise God.
         Lifelong friends.
          With his daddy.
                      And his step mom. Does he look refreshed or what?
        The whole gang who came to witness.
                    Some happy men right there.

    

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