A Jumble of Lovies

I'm  pretty sure it stopped being Wednesday about fourty-five minutes ago but your getting my Wednesday love list anyway. Besides, it is still Wednesday Somewhere....Seeing as it is almost one in the morning I'm not about to figure out where, but you get the point. 

What I'm Loving this week:

-This book that I am reading with my discipleship group-

So intriguing!

-My new nail polish  called "Be a Dahlia, Won't You" -

So Sparkley!

-This Duncan Hines Cake Mix-

So Delicious!

-This "Crazy Ole Bird" fabric-

So Cute!

-Taking morning walks with Bruce Wayne dog-

So Pleasant!

-Planting Our Organic Garden-

So Excited!

Simplicity, Its Whats For Dinner

 On the way home from work I start brainstorming ideas for a quick healthy meal. I got as far as Chicken....something with chicken....cooking the chicken with something.....chicken and....another item. I wasn't feeling inspired andI knew I would need to make a Kroger run so I decided I would browse the produce department for inspiration. I was inspired by Red Cabbage!

It was just so vibrant and healthy looking. I decided I must structure my meal around working in this beautiful purple head. A vegetable medley would be simple enough, I decided. So I grabbed a zuchinni and a yellow squash

I chopped the veggies and tossed them in lemon juice and sea salt and steamed them with two crushed garlic cloves and the squeezed lemon peels.

For the chicken I made a marinade out of three simple ingredients.

I recommend tenderizing the meat. I only let is sit for about 5 minutes.

Bake at 325 for 40-45 minutes.

I served with a spring mix salad.

                                      
                                                                           
                                                                           TA-DA!

Yes, I made this recipe up and yes, it was delicous!

Note: I'm going to use the leftover chicken on a salad tomorrow for lunch :)

Chasing Hens In Heels; The Rooster Staged a Coup

Preface:

This is not a cute title for a post that is acutally about baking chicken spaghetti in your sunday best.

This post is literally about chasing hens in heels. 

I knew our sunday was scheduled to the hilt. What I did not account for was the scheduling of chicken tending to fall between sunday morning church and lunch at the big Bud's(Hubs Parents)

So, I was not exactly prepared for hen hunting but, neverthless, hen hunting was the fate of my black peep-toes.

I know what your thinking, and yes, I could have stayed in the truck and let my dashing young groom collect eggs and tend to their feeding, and he certainly would have. However, seeing as the chicken coop is  on his brother's property (as it is a little more rural than our humble suburban abode) I don't get to see those ole birds just everday. So you see, I couldn't help but stick my nose in. 

 While we are collecting our spoils we don't think twice about the fact that most of the hens (fourteen of them, to be exact) have huddled toward the door while we ravage their nest boxes.

It's at this time that the rooster, who is under Hub's feet, spurs him right in the shin bone, he drops an egg and cracks it, I quickly pick it up to throw it out to the dog and turn around to the hens scrambling out the door!

Oops, Mrs. Can't stay in the car might not have shut the door securely behind her....fourteen hens and ole Foghorn Leghorn (the rooster) flew the coop!

There are too many predators for us to be able to let them roam totally free range. They have to be in the coop or the chicken tractor to protect them from coyotes, german shepherds named Zues, etc. and so I chased fourteen hens in heels....through the woods....and puddles...and thorn bush filled brush. 

HELP!! HELP ME!! THEIR GETTING AWAY! THEIR GOING EVERYWHERE!! HEAD THEM OFF THIS WAY!!... SEAN! ....BABE?!.... I NEED HELP!! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!...................

At this point I learn that I am alone in my pursuit to save the hens and Hub's is intently chasing the rooster with a garden rake in hand swinging like a mad man with a more dire intended outcome.

So I continued to unsuccessfully attempt to herd the hens. Eventually the attempted (rooster) murderer joins me in chasing chickens in a circle. We get nowhere.Considering it can take an hour to hunt down just one of those little buggers and with a family lunch time fast approaching, we leave the chickens victors. Fast forward to dusk, when they would inevitably be hungry and cold, we went back to find the escapees ready scurry into home sweet home.

Fourteen hens went out to play only thirteen came back that day. 

RIP Mother Hen.

RIP Black Peep-Toes.

Am I a Pampered Chef?

 A friend from work recently had a Pampered Chef party and while I was not able to attend, I did choose a couple of goodies from the catalog. The order came in today and I my mind was ablaze with ways I can use my new kitchen items. 

Here is what I got:

 As I was dreaming about recipes that would involve my new gadgets and such, I was distracted by thoughts of the brand name of these kitchen goodies. Pampered Chef? hmmmm... does a 2 quart batter bowl and a cheese grater really make me a "pampered" chef? 

Now don't get me wrong, I am plenty excited about my purchase but I couldn't help my mushy little americanized  brain from thinking that  a "pampered" chef is certainly not what I would consider myself. 

Ole Martha (Stewart) now, she's pampered. Little Miss. Giada De Laurentis, Pampered? CHECK!

Rachel Ray? Hmmm.... Yes. 

My thought process being that not only do they not  have to run to Kroger every time they cook (praying the house won't be burned down when they get back) because they are missing a key ingredient (they have  people for that) but also, their ingredients are all pre-measured in those tiny little bowls by their crew of "People". To top it all off whatever they make is all mary poppins magic ready as soon as they pop it in the oven! (Again, they have people for that)

So, I'm thinking, I don't have people! I never have gourmet, mary poppins magic meals,  piping  hot and ready in the oven right after i whip all my pre-measured "where-the-heck-do-you-find-such-an-herb" ingredients into a gorgeous dish.  All I have is a batter bowl and a cheese grater! 

So all that nonsense was really only a few seconds before I caught myself.

Why I am rating my "pamperedness" on a TV chef scale? Sure there are millions of women with far fancier amenities in their kitchen than my cheese grater but how about the millions of women who don't have a kitchen much less a fancy cheese grater

Humbled! 

Thank you Lord for my countless and undeserved blessings! My lifestyle is lavish. I must be intentional about rembering that and not taking a single can opener or measuring cup or batter bowl for granted! 

I am a pampered chef!

 Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers and sisters. Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created.

James 1:16-18

Why We Love Costco-ing

To-Do, To-DA!

Who rushes out the door so that they have time to get all their errands done, heads to the first stop, gets to the parking lot and realizes return merchandise (objective of item number one on To-Do list) is not in tow? THIS GIRL!
I wish I could tell you that this was an isolated incident, but no can do. It's kinda my M.O.
I need like a To-Do list to remind me to do my To-Do list and then I need  a Post-it note to remind me to do my To-Do my To-Do list. What? I'm lost too, don't worry I'm moving on.

I actually, went to Rite-Aid twice (due to forgotten return item) Two Hobby Lobby's, Kroger, UPS, Target and still had time to squeeze in lunch with this little stinker (and her mommy) 

All before 11:30 and even made it to work on time, and that's on top of my daily at  home To-Do list:

-Feed Bruce Wayne & Judy 

-Coffee

-Spend time with the Lord in His Word

-Coffee

-Wander around Aimlessly trying to remember what you were doing

-Do something productive

-Make sure you are wearing the same pair of shoes on both feet.

-Run out the door because you miscalculated your time again

So all in all I'm feeling pretty Good about my productivity level today.

Take that ADHD!

• tendency to procrastinate
• chronic lateness
• frequently forgetting appointments, commitments, and deadlines
• constantly losing or misplacing things 
• underestimating the time it will take you to complete tasks

Yes, so one of these has to stay because we did have a little slip-up with the Return merchandise....

Love Birds Guide to Date Night On a Budget

In honor of Valentines Day during a recession I'm gonna share a few of our cheap, fun and even romantic date night idea's.

1.Intimate Italian Date Night: Recently we rented a cheesy romance movie, from Netflix, set in a vineyard. We had plans to watch it together one evening and as I planned dinner for that night I thought it would be fun to make a date night of it. I themed the dinner, Italian, and grabbed a bottle of wine. I made bruschetta (click here for my own special recipe) for an appetizer and timed dinner for him to come home to me cooking in my "Mrs. Budinsky" apron like a regular ole June Cleaver. I offered him the bruschetta as an appetizer and a glass of wine and as a finished up dinner. Then we gathered our plunder and headed upstairs and watched a cheeseball vineyard romance movie and ate our delicious homemade Italian food and sipped our wine (pretending to be very sophisticated). Sean loved it!( Ladies,Don't always leave it your dude to plan a date. I think it means so much to Sean when I make the effort to make something special for him.)

2.Ice, Ice Skating Baby:

STOP,collaborate and listen! Ok, I'm a child of the 90's I had to throw the Vanilla Ice reference in. It's just how my brain works, I think Ice and it's just all down here from there...

Moving on. We found that there is actually somewhere to Ice Skate in the Mid-South besides the Mall of Murder that no longer exists. Mid South Ice House in Olive Branch.

We have been a couple times. They have Open Skating most nights from 6-10 but that is subject to change so check the website It is $11 per adult for rentals and skating.

 Doing something active with your sweetheart is a great way to bond . 

Hold hands, laugh at yourself,pretend to be ice dancers, or Scoot around the wall if you have to, but try it! We have a blast ice skating.I Suggest eating a light dinner before and hitting up the steak and shake after for milkshakes and cheese fries. yum!

3.Cozy up in my cuddle-y coop:

Last weekend I was having a really rough day and was in bed crying and Sean went upstairs to the game room and built  a cuddly-coop for us by pushing the the couch and the loveseat together and laying several layers of blankets on top of them and a couple pillows.Then he went and got my favorite candies and Pei-Wei takeout (because I love "Chinese" takeout in the little white boxes like they always have in movies) and we had a movie marathon. I was so cheered up and absolutely loved it! if your not up for rearranging the furniture you can make a cuddly coop of blankets and pillows on the floor. This is definitely my favorite date night  in. I'm a snuggler, what can I say?

4. Skee Ball Tournament:

Putt Putt has a better game room but we usually go to chuck-e-cheese because it is closer. No, we are not to old for chuck-e-cheese! For about $12 you can get about 50 tokens. That is 25 games each! Or 20 bucks will buy you a total of 100 games! Not a bad deal for a some good ole fashion throw back fun. Challenge your spouse to a Skee Ball tournament or the moving basketball hoops game or whatever you like to play. Get excited or even competitive  about getting your tickets.When you have had enough fun, cash your tickets in and pick out something for each other at the prize counter.

5.Fireside Heart to Heart, and don't forget the chocolate!:

There is just something romantic about snugglin' up by a fire together. Ladies, Make some Cocoa or tea, or your cozy drink of choice. I like to leave the fire buildin' to my sweet little pyro expert man because he will get in roarin' in no time. Then grab your throw blankets cozy up, stare into the flames(there is just something mesmerizing about fire) and pour your heart out. 

Those are a few of our favorite kinds of things to do together. Making simple things special, having fun and laughing together, and just snugglin' up and gettin' our chatterbox on is romantic to me. What Special things do you like to do with your sweetheart?

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!

(click her for my own special recipe )

Rebecca

Yesterday, February 11th, Marked two years since we lost our beautiful Rebecca.


We spent last night watching some of her favorite movies.I tried as much as I could not to remember that day, just to remember her. This morning at church one of the worship songs we sang was a song we played at her funeral and Sean and I cried together through worship.It's good to open the cap to your little grief bottle and let some of the pain out sometimes but it sure does hurt. We always miss her but this day is and always will be hard. But God is so good to us when we give Him our burdens he gives us just what we need. My mom gave all the girls in my family a devotional, Jesus Calling, that has a devotion for every day of the year. The devotions are written as if it is Jesus speaking words of comfort and encouragement to you personally. Yesterdays Devotion was spot on what I needed to be reminded of on a day that, with out Jesus, would be an absolutely hopeless day to remember.

( here)

My Peace is like a shaft of golden light shining on you continuously. During days of bright sunshine, it may blend in with your surroundings. On darker days, My peace stands out in sharp contrast to your circumstances. See times of darkness as opportunities for My Light to shine in transcendent splendor. I am training you to practice peace that overpowers darkness.Collaborate with me in this training. Do not grow weary and lose heart.


Praise Jesus that Our sweet Becky is walking with Him in perfect peace.

Rebecca Anne Budinsky 4/25/89-02/11/10

The Key To My Dilemna

Last night I came home to find Sean's keys hanging in the door. That was the second time this month I have made such a discovery. Last time I was on my way out the door for work and we tore the house apart for ten minutes looking for my keys before frantically heading out the door to check the car and there they were in the keyhole where they had been hanging all night. Not the best place to store the keys, eh?
I'm not sure if this is as bad as my favorite place to leave the keys; inside a locked car.I recently Locked them inside my car twice in one week. Thank goodness for roadside assistance.
Back to the key dilemna. So, This morning as I am trying to feed the dog,/pack my lunch/ turn all the lights off/ unplug my straightener/put on my coat and text my tea date that I was running late all in one fell swoop, I get a call from from the Mr.
Mr:I'm at the shop and I left my keys at home and my truck is broken, I can't make it back to the house, can you bring me the keys?
Mrs: Which Keys? The keys that were hanging in the door last night?? 
Mr: .....yes....
Mrs: I put them on the key hook
Mr:....yes...
Mrs.: On my way! 
Thank goodness for roadside assistance, right?
 Losing things is a recurring event in our household  [insert ADHD symptom here:

• constantly losing or misplacing things (keys, wallet, phone, documents, bills) ]

I'm thinking we need a better place to hang the keys. What do you think?

We designated this hall tree to hang our key on

and sometimes do pretty good with making it from the front door, through the dining room, into the kitchen, head towards the laundry room....what was I doing? 

The problem is this is across from the garage door and we typically Enter and Exit through the front door.

There are too many "distractions" on that 25ft hike from front door to laundry room (opening the door is apparently one of them given the a fore mentioned key placements)

and the hall tree is too big for our front entry way.

So I did my research, and by research I mean I got on pinterest and found this little piece of inspiration for the wall near the front door from this this blog.

I challenged myself to make this an under $20 project.So I set a date with Hobby Lobby! Hobby Lobby runs a 50% off sale cycle. Every week  about half the store is 50% off and the next week about the other half is on sale. For example, if open back frames are on sale this week, they won't be next week but the ready made frames will be. You have to catch what you need (yes, sometimes we actually need things from hobby lobby)on the right week. I hate having to wait until the next monday to catch my item on 50% when I'm on A big craft binge but it's the right thing to do. When I encounter a full price, destroy my creative urges week on a desired item I usally have to stand there with the item in hand and convince myself it's the right thing....it will be HALF PRICE in three days, Put the picture frame down....now, walk away....don't look back....

Back to the key thing, I got two antique bronze hooks and a frame. I also found these old bronze keys that I just couldn't resist. I'm thinking of doing something like this.

Now that I have it at home I think I am going to add a third hook. Also, I really liked the

 "EST. 2008" so I'm going to try to work that in.

What to think so far? Good? BAD? eh?

All because two people (with ADHD) fell in love

 Hi blog world, how I've missed you so! It's good to be back. Now, my digits remain a little rusty, so bear with me. I feel like I'm trying to pogo stick home after getting off the spaceship 2000 (you know, that nauseating ride at the fair that spins you around until you hit g-force.) Translation: I'm having trouble moving forward without forgetting where I'm going or heading in twelve different directions on the way to  (maybe) ending up at my intended destination. The good news?! That's the story of my life, This is what goes on in my brain every time I try to accomplish a task. Yes, even if that task is making coffee. Which, by the way,I discovered this morning that  my coffee maker is broken! Although I always intend to make coffee on the way out of the bed it usually takes a few minutes to get to it because there are so many distractions that may catch my eye on the short commute from bed to kitchen. A dish in the sink, the garbage too full, a sock on the floor, you name it. So in my uber groggy state of my mind I fiddle with this or that all the while thinking I really need coffee. Did I start the coffee? I should have started the coffee before I started this load of laundry. Why am I feeding the rabbit before I've had my coffee? Okay, I am really going to make coffee now....How am I walking out the door with no lunch packed and just now grabbing a cup of coffee?? 

 Here are a just a couple of symptoms of adult ADHD that may explain the scenario above:

•   extreme distractibility; wandering attention makes it hard to stay on track.
•   struggling to complete tasks, even ones that seem simple.

Even ones that seem simple...Yes, this is my life. The good news (that I mentioned above when referring to being a dizzy pogo stick operator) is that:
1. I'm not the only one  who takes and hour and a half to make a pot of coffee.
2. I know I struggle with making a pot of coffee etc, etc.
3. I sometimes get more done than anticipated or than the average person because my lack of focus that leads me to complete seventeen things on the intended path to complete one. (flip side, being that sometimes I get far less accomplished because of  my "extreme distractiblity and struggling to complete simple tasks." However, we are focusing on positives here!)
5.Creativity, Passion, Energy and Spontaneity are also "symptoms" of ADHD

Now, with that preface, why the Cuckoos Nest? Let me break it down:

NEST; a snug retreat or refuge; resting place; home.

to build or have a nest.

to settle in or as if in a nest.  

to fit together or within another or one another: 

CUCKOO; Slang . a crazy, silly, or foolish person. (scratch the foolish but the other two are pretty accurate)

So,this is a roost for the somewhat chaotic,sometimes cooky,sort of creative, soon to be chronicled tales of two cuckoos "making their nest."

P.S. Did I mention my dear husband has ADHD too??

ENJOY!

EXHIBIT A; trying to take a picture together:

       Are you starting to track with me on the whole cuckoos nest thing?