Thankful Thursday

I have never participated in Thankful Thursday before. I was reading my friend Sarah's blog tonight and thought I might join in tonight. I have many, many things to be thankful for.

First of all... my husband. He is AMAZING!! He works so hard to provide for our family so I can stay home with our daughter. He is so good with Addie. He is an amazing father.

I am also thankful for my beautiful daughter. She is the sweetest little thing. She gives kisses and hugs ALL the time. She has started saying "I love you" in her own little way. So, so sweet.

I am thankful for my family. I have the greatest parents and brother in the world. They are always there for us, no matter what. And they love my daughter more than anything!!

These are just a few things for now that I am thankful for. More to come next week.

For more Thankful Thursday visit Iris at Sting My Heart.

YUMMY!!

I tried the Broiled Parmesan Tomatoes for supper from this weeks Menu Plan Monday. They were delicious. You should all try them.

Great Recipe

I wanted to share my recipe for Shepherds Pie. This has been a family favorite for a very long time. It is very easy and quick and can be adapted in many ways. I hope you will try it!! Let me know if you have any questions.


Shepherds Pie

1 lb ground beef
2 Cans of Veg-All Homestyle (29 oz) - drained
1 jar Heinz HomeStyle Savory Beef Gravy (12 oz)
4 servings Hungry Jack Mashed Potatoes
6 slices of American Cheese
Salt
Pepper
Season Salt

Preheat oven to 350°. Brown ground beef. In a medium size bowl, mix vegall, gravy and ground beef. Add salt, pepper and season salt to taste. Prepare Hungry Jack Potatoes as stated on box. Pour beef mixture into a greased 2 ½ Quart baking dish. Top with 6 slices of cheese. Spread potatoes on top making sure to cover all the way to the edges. Bake in preheated 350° oven for 30 min.


This is a great dish that can be changed in many ways. You can use any type of cheese including shredded. You can top it with real mashed potatoes, tator tots or even shredded hash browns. It can also be prepared with frozen vegetables instead of canned. This is the easiest and quickest way, and it is delicious. Give it a try!!

Menu Plan Monday

Last week was my first week at MPM. It went great!! I just made a couple changes, but of course... that's life. I am trying it again this week and expecting it to go well. Here is the menu:

Monday- Eat Out

Tuesday- Shepherds Pie, Mac & Cheese & Rolls

Wednesday- French Dip Sandwiches w/ Au Jus and Broiled Parmesan Tomatoes

Thursday- Tacos

Friday- Hamburgers and Hot Dogs, Baked Beans and Chips & Dip (Hubby is Grilling!!)

Saturday- Meat Loaf, Broccoli Casserole, Corn & Rolls

Sunday- Left Overs

For more great meal ideas, click HERE.

Cookie

I never said that the Neiman Marcus story was true. I simply said it was a "story." Maybe I should have called it a "legend". I never thought it was true myself. It is a little too far fetched. I was given the recipe by a family member and thought it was so good that I would share it with everyone...What can I say... it's a cool story! Regardless... It is the BEST cookie that I have EVER put into my mouth. Therefore, I do think that all of you should try it!!

So FUNNY!!

I came across this video on MySpace today. I laughed until I cried!! Pay close attention to the woman's face... And PLEASE disregaurd the bad language at the end.

Gun Scare Prank

Salt Water Taffy

I have finished another baby blanket for charity for the KH Forum I am a part of. This one was called Salt Water Taffy. Here is a picture before:

Here is a picture after I added my section.

Here is a closeup of my portion.

I mailed it off today to the next knitter. I included some handmade stitch markers (that I made myself) **patting myself on the back** :) Here is a picture of some that I have made:

First Meal of Menu Plan Monday(MPM)

Here is the first meal that I cooked from my Menu Plan Monday. It was Beef Tips (Crockpot) and Rice, Steamed Broccoli, Mac & Cheese, and Crescent Rounds. It was delicious if I say so myself.

Cookies for a Friend

Last week I baked cookies for a neighbor that had a baby. They were so YUMMY!!

These are Neiman Marcus Cookies. My FAVORITE cookie!! Here is the story and the recipe.

There was a woman that had lunch at Neiman-Marcus and for dessert she had a cookie. She thought it was the most wonderful cookie she had ever tasted. She asked if the recipe was available. She was told that it was and the charge was two-fifty. She agreed. She received the recipe and told them to charge her account. When she got her bill, there was a charge of $250.00. She called Neiman’s and told them there was a mistake on her bill; the charge should be $2.50. She was told that there was NO mistake and the charge was correct. She vowed at that time to get them back by giving the cookie recipe to everyone she possibly could. So please pass it on to any cookie lover that you may know.


Neiman’s $250.00 Cookie Recipe

2 Cups Butter
2 Cups Brown Sugar
2 Cups Sugar
4 Eggs
2 Teaspoons Vanilla
4 Cups Flour (Self-Rising)
5 Cups Blended Oatmeal **
1 Teaspoon Salt
2 Teaspoons Baking Powder
2 Teaspoons Baking Soda
24 oz. Chocolate Chips (Hershey’s Semi-Sweet)
1 Hershey Bar-8 oz. (grated)
3 Cups chopped nuts (your choice)

** Blended Oatmeal: Blend oatmeal in a blender to a fine powder.

Cream butter and both sugars. Add eggs and vanilla. Mix together with flour, blended oatmeal, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Add in chocolate chips, grated chocolate bar, and nuts. Refrigerate for ½ hour. Roll into balls (I use a 1 Tablespoon Cookie Scoop) and place 2” apart on cookie sheet. Bake for 7 ½ minutes at 375°. Makes approximately 150 cookies.

This recipe can be halved. Only ½ will fit in a regular size mixing bowl.

This cookie is called the Big Fat, Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookie. I got the recipe from a blog a read called Your Homebased Mom. Here is a link to the recipe.

Try both recipes. You will NOT be disappointed.

Christian the Lion

Check this out!! It is so sweet!!

Menu Plan Monday

I have never done menu planning before, but I am going to give it try this week! Here goes nothing!

Monday

Beef Tips & Rice- Crockpot

Steamed Broccoli

Mac & Cheese

Rolls

Tuesday

Leftovers

Wednesday

Eat Out Before Church

Thursday

Pancakes

Eggs

Bacon

Fruit

Friday

Spaghetti

Corn

Salad

French Bread

Saturday

Pintos

Stewed Potatoes

Glazed Carrots

Cornbread

Sunday

Leftovers

For more recipes and tips, click HERE!!

A Wonderful Woman

My Mom is such a wonderful woman. She is always there when I need her...NO matter what. My husband had to be at the hospital this morning at 7:30 for a small test (everything is great by the way!). My mom got here just after 7:00 to sit with Addie while we were gone. We were gone for about 2 hours or so. She offered to get us whatever we needed after we got home. Then tonight, we had to go pick up some patio furniture that we bought yesterday. So... once again my mom came down to sit with her so we could go pick up the patio set. We were gone for about 45 min or so. Thanks to my brother also for helping us move it.

My mom is such a special woman. Of course... we have had our bad days in the past, but we are human. Right? Everyone has a bad day from time to time and can say things that they don't really mean. But, I do know one thing... She loves her family more than anything. Especially Addie... right, Mom? *wink wink* Everyone told me when I got pregnant that the baby would ALWAYS come before me... And it's true. But, you know what... I wouldn't change it for the world. At least, my mom (and my dad and brother..I can't leave them out) is in Addie's life. Some grandparents don't want to have anything to do with their grandchildren. I am so lucky to have such a wonderful family that loves my daughter so much. And Addie loves them bunches too.

She loves when her Grammy comes to see her. She calls her "Baw-Baw" (Paw-Paw) on her toy phone all the time. And she loves for her Uncle Chase to take her outside.

Wow... I am so blessed. Thank you mom for always being there for me, no matter what. I love you with all of my heart. You always told me that I would understand one day. I finally understood the day my precious baby was placed on my stomach for the first time. A Mother's Love... that's all there is to it.

Live~Laugh~Love

What a day it has been... Today a wonderful woman was laid to rest. Mrs. Libby Jerrolds was my high school guidance counselor. She was an amazing woman. She was diagnosed with cancer last fall. Tears are falling as I type this. Words just cannot express what a wonderful woman she was.

I could go to her for anything and she was always there. I would stop by her office during class changes just to say "Hello." We would get to talking and lose track of time and the next thing we knew... we would hear the bell ringing. So of course, she would write me a note for being late to class. :) She is the reason that I went to college to be a counselor myself. She helped me through so many things during my high school years. After I graduated, I would go by and see her as often I could.

She of course was at my graduation and my prom. She was at my wedding. I went to the school to let her know when I found out I was pregnant. She came to see my daughter when she was born. Wow... she has been there for all of the 'BIG' events in my life.

The services were wonderful. They mentioned these three special words:

Live ~ Laugh ~ Love

These three words describe Mrs. Libby the best. No matter what, she always lived life to the fullest. Even after she was diagnosed with cancer, she was unstoppable. She was always laughing. I don't know that I EVER saw her without a smile on her face. Even through the cancer, she still had a smile. Love... what can I say about this one. She loved her family, friends, and students more than anything. And we loved her.

I cannot tell you what a blessing it is for me to have known her for as long as I did. She was my rock during high school. I give her a lot of credit for helping me become the person that I am today. I think it is impossible to count the number of lives that she has touched. You can read her obituary here.

Mrs. Libby, you will be forever remembered. Thank you for everything that you did for me. You will always be in my heart. I love you!!