Happy Thoughts, Happy Life

 

So True and extremely difficult to pull off. Actually, I only assume it's difficult, I have never really tried it for a long period of time. Maybe I should do that before saying it's difficult or discouraging anyone from doing it. Okay, so I take it back. So True. The End. 

 For example, while my daughter and nephew are building semi-awesome forts in my living room it's difficult for me to keep happy thoughts in my head. I see my living room being destroyed, all the sheets from the linen closet (that were meticulously stuffed in there) strung up on chairs and couches now, all while the play room is being completely unused. The play room - a place that is hidden from any of the numerous guests that may arrive at my house at any time now to see the mess in my living room.  What? It could happen. 

Or my husband sends me a text with good intentions behind it. The first thought that comes to my mind, "Same story, different day." Seriously, that's rude. He's trying to be kind and nice and hopeful and I just tear him down with my not so happy thoughts. I tried to recover but he knew I was spreading the sarcasm on thick. The man knows me well. 

You know what though...I did apply this, "Happy Thoughts, Happy Life" theory the other night. I was unsettled about something going on and I took a step back and realized it could be different. It could be worse. It's temporary and in the bigger picture, it's really not so bad. So I have done it, and it does work. I felt at peace after I had that conversation with myself. I was....well...Happy. The trick is to do this continuously and today, I'm not off to a good start. But the day ain't over yet!!

It would help if I had a coffee. Or a brownie. Anything chocolate at this point. I'm not being picky. And a coffee. And some new Essie nail polish in Bikini  so Teeny, Mojito Madness, No Place Like Chrome, Picket Fence and whatever coral color Erin put on my nails last Saturday. And yes, I knew the colors off the top of my head. ; )  Because I'm cool like that.

Seriously, everyone is going through something. EVERYONE. And maybe that something is like a darkness for them. Like they can't quite see the end of the tunnel, they aren't even sure if there is an end to the gloomy fog they are in. And I just want to be the person that offers them a flash light. I don't have to BE the actual LIGHT at the end. I don't even have to know how long the damn tunnel is. I just want to be a different perspective. And I think everyone needs that. A new outlook. A different window to look out of. A different door to open. They don't know it's there but that's what we are here for. As friends, as daughters, as mothers, as sisters. We just have to keep them going.

Since my last post was such a hit, I thought I would add a few more Pinterest recipes and give you my thoughts on them. (I'm kidding, I think I heard from like 2 people...WAIT...Happy thoughts...) It was a hit because I know at least two people who read it and got something out of it..Boom...Be gone negative Nancy's in my head...

Four Ingredient Crockpot Buffalo Chicken Sandwiches

 Ummmm so these were really delicious!! But, I cannot tell a lie. There isn't anything healthy about them. I just made this meal for my husband and myself so I used two chicken breast in the crockpot. I used half a bottle of the hot sauce for the two pieces of chicken and no water.  It was nummmmm...EEEEEEEEEEEE!!!

Pizza Quesadillas 

 Loved these!!! And what I loved best about them is I was able to make a healthier variation of them. I got Tomato Basil tortillas that are really low in calorie and can be found at Wal-Mart. I used turkey pepperoni and low fat or reduced fat mozzarella cheese. I added mushrooms and jaleps to the quesadillas but you could add whatever you wanted.(bell peppers would be good too) Highly Recommend for a quick and easy meal. 

Philly Cheesesteak Sloppy Joes 

It has been so long since I made this I had to go back and look at the recipe. I know I used ground turkey instead of ground beef (lets just assume I do every time) and I would not have used an onion but instead onion powder. They were good. I haven't made them since though, not sure why. I remember them tasting pretty close to an actual Philly Cheesesteak, which I love. Good for a football game day!! Ughhh....Can't wait for fall!!! 

Been There...Tried That!!

I told you I was going to post about the delicious or not so delicious things I have tried on Pinterest. You just didn't expect it to be so soon did you?

Side Note - On our way to Nebraska, as soon as we got the kids settled in the car and headed out my oldest, Jackson yells, "You bring the Jack!" and Ella, my 7 year old answers with...yep, you guessed it, "I'll bring the COKE!" - Proudest Mom Moment EVER.

Side Note to my Side Note - This morning I had to drop the kids of at VBS. On the way, Ella mentioned wanting to go see the Katy Perry movie in theatres. (Actually I now also want to see this) I tell her that I will NOT watch it in 3D and Jackson says, "I wouldn't want to watch it in 3D either. It makes my ding dong hurt. Like when I ride a roller coaster or something. That makes my ding dong hurt too."  - I was left speechless

Okay....On to more important things. Like.....what's for dinner, Mom? Well maybe I can give you a few ideas..or perhaps taketh away a few. However, if I failed at any of the meals I attempted it wasn't the foods fault or the person who created the recipe. 9 times out of 10 it's sure to be my error. So keep that in mind when I mention things like, "vomit or ewww or thumbs down".

Here are just a few I have tried:

Homemade Toasted Ravioli

So these were my first, "Give it a Whirl" and they were...okay. Just okay. I did some in oil on the stove top and it was too heavy, to "fried" tasting for me. So then I did the other half in the oven and broiled them. That batch was better. I just think at that point I was done with them. Must have ranch and or marinara to dip in.

Jalapeno Popper Grilled Cheese Sandwich

Two thumbs up for sure. When my two older ones are with their dad, my husband and I try to plan small easy meals for the two of us. This is one of our favorites. I also love spicy foods!! However, I did follow the directions the first time and I found the peppers to be sort of bland. I was hoping for spicier. So now I just put in jalapenos from a jar. Dip the sandy in some tomato soup and you are set!! Nummy!!

Ranch Greek Yogurt

Mix 1 packet of Ranch Dressing Mix with one container of Greek Yogurt and you will have a tub of BLARF!! I'm all for making things healthier, I do that with most of the recipes when I can but this does NOT taste like Ranch dressing. Not at all. Unless the Ranch dressing you eat taste like straight up vomit. The End.

Dried Strawberries

Taste like Candy!!! Bahahahahhahahaha!! Hilarious...and also Ewwwww...Now, I will admit that when I was making these and following the instructions I questioned adding the salt and pepper but I did it anyways. Because...someone knows what they are doing right?? Whelp..No..Not this person. By this person I mean me. Maybe should have gone with my gut and not added the salt and pepper to taste but even then, I'm not sure I would have been a fan.

Frozen Yogurt covered Raspberries

So she used blueberries but I used raspberries. I thought they would be less sour. I don't do sour. I do sweet. My kids like raspberries and they did not like these. I think, honestly, it was because they were too cold to eat. I, personally, didn't like them but I don't like raspberries so blueberries would not have been any different for me. I may try strawberries next time because I really liked the yogurt. Husband loved these!

Cafe Rio Chicken

This is, by far, the entire family's favorite meal. I just made this last night actually, with lots of left overs today. :) It is so easy and it's a crockpot meal, makes it even better! It's mindless work when it comes to dinner. I have made this with soft and crispy tacos (we prefer the crispy) and if there are left overs then you can make it like a dip and mix it with refried beans or sour cream and dip tortilla chips in it. It is so flavorful and the chicken is so moist. We all love it!!

Turkey Taco Lettuce Wraps

I'm positive I have already posted about these delicious wraps previously in my blog but I love them so much I'm doing it again. The only thing I would recommend is being sure you get a good, fresh crisp lettuce head. It's crucial to keeping these wraps from falling apart. I also never use ground hamburger meat anymore. I am ground turkey all the way. It is so good!!

Cheesy Chicken Wild Rice Casserole

This one is Momma's favorite!! Which surprises me because it is a little more work for me. But I never knew how much I love wild rice. The recipe calls for 2 cups white rice and 2 cups wild rice but I do 3 cups wild rice and 1 cup white or brown rice. Either one. Wild rice just has way more flavor to it. And the cheese sauce is to DIE for!!!! Secret: I don't do any of the vegetables. I want my kids to eat this stuff. I do flavor with onion powder and serve green beans or corn on the side but I skip the vegetable part for the dish all together. This is a ~ winner winner chicken dinner~ in my tummy and at the table!! Seriously, you must try.

Crockpot Cubed Steak

Mmmmm....this was delicious and another crockpot easy peezy one!! Seriously, it doesn't get much easier than a crockpot meal right? Anyways, I wouldn't change a thing about this at all!! I served it over rice and we loved it! So good!!

Four Ingredient Crockpot Buffalo Chicken Sandwiches

 Ummmm so these were really delicious!! But, I cannot tell a lie. There isn't anything healthy about them. I just made this meal for my husband and myself so I used two chicken breast in the crockpot. I used half a bottle of the hot sauce for the two pieces of chicken and no water.  It was nummmmm...EEEEEEEEEEEE!!!

Pizza Quesadillas 

 Loved these!!! And what I loved best about them is I was able to make a healthier variation of them. I got Tomato Basil tortillas that are really low in calorie and can be found at Wal-Mart. I used turkey pepperoni and low fat or reduced fat mozzarella cheese. I added mushrooms and jaleps to the quesadillas but you could add whatever you wanted.(bell peppers would be good too) Highly Recommend for a quick and easy meal. 

Philly Cheesesteak Sloppy Joes 

It has been so long since I made this I had to go back and look at the recipe. I know I used ground turkey instead of ground beef (lets just assume I do every time) and I would not have used an onion but instead onion powder. They were good. I haven't made them since though, not sure why. I remember them tasting pretty close to an actual Philly Cheesesteak, which I love. Good for a football game day!! Ughhh....Can't wait for fall!!! 

Alright, well I have tons more but I think I will stop here. If you follow me on Pinterest you can go to my 'Been There Tried That' board. I try to repin everything there once I have done it so if you want to try something on the board and want to know how it ended up before trying it out just ask!!

Laters Gators!!

Enjoy the Chaos

If I wait until I get all my thoughts gathered in a nicely, organized, presentable fashion I will never write. In other words, I'm going to be all over the place today. Enjoy the chaos.

The Trip

We survived 'The Trip'. Yes, we did. We actually did more than survive the trip. We enjoyed ourselves. We saw family, we spent time together, we spent time in the sun, watched a city parade, found some shade while the kids played in water on the street, had the perfect view to watch an awesome fireworks show, we had pizza by the pool, Margaritas in the middle of the afternoon, long, meaningless talks by the fire pit, watched wild turkeys roam the land, murdered a cat (sorry if that offends anyone), tried RumChata (why have I never heard of this) and met a man named Rodrigo. (aka Pedro, Jose and Rico) Yep, fun was had by all.

Jackson on his 10th birthday, Scavenger Hunt game in the travel binders, Jackson and Landon at parade, Field of endless sunflowers we passed in Kansas, Me and cousin Jill at parade, (below that - corn fields in Nebraska), Jackson in hat at parade, (below that - view from back balcony at my Aunt and Uncles house - we use to sled down that hill in the winter) , Landon waving at pretty much everyone at parade, Ella with her cotton candy - Ewwww, My babies at parade, Uncle Stevie and Jacob on the last night we were there enjoying a beer in the cheese koozies by the fire pit

 

 

 

 

 

Randoms

I loathe unpacking and all the laundry that comes with it but this momma got that done in 2 days. Boom!

Tried something new at Starbucks. Green Tea Frapp. Vomit. Fail. Gross.

My dad would have been 57 today.

 Landon is crazy. Like cray, cray crazy. He makes us laugh all the time.

Is it Fall yet?

I want to craft something.

And go on a date with my husband. Desperately.

I cannot go to sleep with my hair wet. It looks like I have bump its randomly placed all over the top of my head. It's not pretty. Anyone want a pic of that?? Haha. 

I heart Pinterest. If not for the simple fact that there are a gazillion different recipes all in one place for me. And I have tried several. I am going to post about that. And you can't stop me.

Jackson is such an amazing big brother. And he turned 10.  TEN Freaking years old. I contemplated writing about that but there is no way I could keep it together for that one. I know how emotional it is for me and if you are a mother you know how emotional it is too. No need to dwell on it. I'm thankful that he has made it to 10. I hope he keeps on growing.

Sorry for the quality - this is me taking pics of pics. (July 3rd, 2002 - July 3rd, 2003 in Nebraska, and then 10 years later we were in Nebraska again for his bday. Crazy right!!!)

 Okay, seriously though, raspberries are disgusting. It doesn't matter if they are fresh, frozen or put in a blender. They are disgusting. 

I made travel binders for the kids. Life savers. Serious, sanity savers. If you want to know where I got it from or what I included in the binders let me know. Otherwise, I will just call my girlfriend that asked me about that (promise Steph) and save you all the time of reading about it. You're Welcome. 

I want to get a little heart tatt on my toe. Have you seen it on Pinterest? Freaking cute.

 I got to see my dad's side of the family. His dad and brothers and sisters. My cousins. My heart seems to briefly stop beating every time I see my Grandpa. It usually has been years in between visits but he looks so much like my dad it takes my breath away. I have to really try to keep it together when I am hugging him. And sitting next to my Uncle Kent, who to me, always reminded me so much of my dad, also a little hard to endure. It's a very bitter sweet emotion. As I sat in that room with my Aunts and Uncles and Grandpa and cousins I realized how unfair and cruel life can be sometimes. Not that I didn't enjoy it but there I sat in between my cousin Lindsey and my cousin Ellen and all three of us have lost our dads. One family, three different men.  Three men who didn't get to quite see their girls grow up or get married or have babies. Life can be cruel and a blessing all at the same time. And that, my friends, is just the way it goes.

(Uncle Kent, Dad, Grandpa - rocking the stache)