Catch up!

Sorry I was MIA this past week. I know today is supposed to be "5 Things" day but other than my aunt's birthday party, this weekend was pretty boring. So instead I'll tell you what's been up, but first... I had said that I would tell y'all about my 2 Valentine's days!

Valentine's Day #1:

On Monday, the day before Valentine's Day, I decided to surprise Ryan with one of his favorite meals. I went over to his apartment and made roast, mashed potatoes, green beans and rolls YUM! He was surprised and happy :D. THEENN we went to see The Vow, which by the way, is a cute movie! That was our Valentine's Day.

Valentine's Day #2:

Last year we started a tradition. Ryan, Juan and I took the dogs up to the park and ate Chicken Express in the parking lot, then went for a walk with the dogs. That was our Valentine's Day. So, this year we continued the tradition. We didn't go to the park, and we added an extra guest but it was fun. Ryan, Juan, Brett and I all ate Chicken Express at Ryan's apartment and then watched Underworld Awakening (not nearly as good as the first three movies, but whatever). I had three Valentines and we all had fun.

Now, onto what kept me away last week. One word. Cleaning. I made up a cleaning schedule and was so busy last week starting it that I didn't get time to come on here.

If you're curious as to what my cleaning schedule is... you're in luck! I'm going to tell you!

Monday
Vacuum main rooms (not bedrooms)
Laundry day (I hate laundry)
Tidy house (never leave a room empty handed)

Tuesday
Clean bathrooms (toilets, mirrors, bathtub/shower, wash rugs/shower curtain, floors etc)

Wednesday
Wipe down all surfaces (counters, microwave, stove, fridge, tables, end tables, banister, doors, ceiling fans etc)
Vacuum/Sweep/Mop all floors (including bedrooms)
Clean liter box
Take out trash (our garbage man comes Thursday)

Thursday
Laundry catch up day/clean Laundry room
Clean out/organize something (a drawer, a closet, car etc)

Friday
Vacuum main rooms (not bedrooms)
Tidy house (never leave a room empty handed)
Pick up outside (backyard, trash etc)

I also do dishes ever day, of course. Every morning I unload the dishwasher and every night I load and run it. I also wipe down the stove top every night after supper to make sure there isn't any food stuck on it.

Doing a little bit every day helps keeping my house tidy. That way if someone decides to come over, I don't have to rush and clean up, it's already done! I'm not going to lie, the first week is time consuming, especially dusting day but once you start doing it it gets easier and doesn't take as much time.

Well that's my Southern Soapbox. Let me know what you think about my cleaning schedule, and if you have one of your own or have suggestions, let me know!

Wonky and Woot-tastic Wednesday

Wonky:
   - Is there even a dress code on Degrassi: The Next Generation? Seriously.. the things Manny wears (more importantly, what she DOESN'T wear...) in season 3.... HOLY CRAP..
   - Every time there's a stream on TV or if we pass one... my dad ALWAYS says "Bet there's trout in that stream" every time, without fail. What's even more wonky, I say it if he's not there to say it.... *shakes head*..
   - My sister and I are TRYING to get back into our gym schedule... we're such weaklings...
   - The other day my mom, my dad and I were sitting in the living room watching TV. Not wonky?... that's because I'm not finished. Now, for some of you this may not be "weird" and it really isn't, until I start thinking. So, while we are being normal and watching TV as a LOVELY family.. my dad pulls out the pistol. He's just sitting in his chair holding the pistol. I realize this may not be all that odd, but now think about this. What if someone walked by our house and saw in the windows (this would mean they have vampire vision since the street is about 10+ yards from our house AND they also have x-ray vision to see through the closed blinds.. but that's not the point..) the point is, this person would possibly see what looks a lot like a hostage situation. Two women sitting in the living room with a man holding a gun. Oh boy..

Woot:
   - I made Cowboy cookies the other day... YUM
   - A few nights ago I came home from Ryan's and went in my parents room (it was past 10pm so I knew they would be in bed watching TV). They were watching Indiana Jones so we popped popcorn and all three of us laid in their bed and bonded. Also, during this time I decided it would be VERY interesting to do some sort of late night show with my parents.. they entertain me haha.
   - I had two Valentine's Days! Isn't that cool? I made Ryan dinner Monday night and then we went to a movie. Then on Tuesday me, Ryan, and two of our friends ate Chicken Express. I'll post more details about the date in a separate post tomorrow! It was fun!

Well, that's it for wonky and woot-tastic! Sorry no pictures :( I'm saving them for my V-day post!

Wonky and Woot-tastic Wednesday

... or Thursday. Sorry I'm late. Busy day yesterday.

Wonky:
   - I knew there was a reason my sister and I go to the gym at 2pm instead of 7:30pm. While there aren't a lot of people at the gym at night, there are A LOT less at 2 in the afternoon. At night you get the really dedicated men that huff and puff and grunt. It's REALLY awkward for me and my sister to be lifting out little 5 pound weights and then look over to see this GIANT dude benching like 200 pound all the while grunting and sweating and swearing under his breath. AWKWARD
   - I was in the shower the other night and I had an itch, so I scratched it. From that one scratch I ended up making myself bleed. Who knew my skin was so sensitive? It probably didn't help that the water was really hot :D.
   - I went over to my sisters the other day for some girl time and her husband came home for dinner (he works the night shift). I got up to do something and Andrew informed me that the PJ's I had worn over there were a tad bit see through. He could see my black undies through the light blue fabric of my pants.... opps. At least I only went to my sisters house...

Woot:
   - Ryan is on this motorcycle kick. He has taken the course to get his license, gotten a helmet and jacket, now he is looking for a bike. Last Thursday Ryan was off work and we went to look at bikes together. There are some really nice ones. Hopefully he finds one that he likes and isn't too expensive. (This is mostly his woot, since I'm convinced that there is a reason hospitals call them Donor Cycles... but ya..)
   - I love how when I hold kids they fit perfectly in my lap and arms. It makes me smile.
   - When I wake up Rebel and George are usually still in bed with me. Rebel is to the right of me all curled up as close as he can get to me, while George is wedged at the foot of the bed praying that either I don't kick him, or that Rebel doesn't trample him we get up. Usually Rebel doesn't actually get out of bed until I'm almost ready to leave. I love my babies :D.


Sorry no pictures on this post :( I've been lazy.

That's my Southern Soapbox for the day! Sorry it's late!

5 Things

My 5 things from this weekend are...

5. Degrassi.. yup.. I'm watching Degrassi: The Next Generation. No, I'm not proud of that.

4. Rosa's! YUM I got something new too. I got a beef fajita SALAD.. instead of my usual beef fajitas... that's me, the daring, adventurous one.

3. The Superbowl Party. GO GIANTS! Need I say more? Well.. actually.. yes I do. I went with my dad, sister and my adorable Stinky Monkey (my nephew). Stink Monkey was CRAZY! He would run around chasing the older boys and girls. It was really cute. If my phone hadn't been dying, I would have taken a video of it.

2. Speaking of phones... I GOT A NEW ONE! I got the LG Nitro HD (do you know how long it took me to remember that? oh... about 2 or 3 days). I LOVE it! It's a 4g LTE phone and the rear facing camera is 8mp! Not to mention the fact that the screen is longer than my index finger.... excuse me while I have a love affair with my new phone.. it's kind of totally awesome.

1. Nap time... I love nap time. It's probably one of my favorite parts about Sundays... ah nap time :D

Well, that's my Southern Soapbox for the day! I have to go figure out what Ryan and I are going to do for Valentines Day. What did y'all do this weekend? Do you guys have any plans for Valentines Day?

Stir Fry Recipe!

I had a couple of people ask me about this recipe since I cooked it last week so I thought I would post it on here! I might start doing a recipe of the week every week. We shall see.

My Stir Fry

Ingredients

2 packages round eye steaks, bite size chunks
2 packages mixed vegetables (brocolli, carrots, snow peas)
1 clove garlic, minced
2 slices ginger, shredded
3 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
6 tablespoons soy sauce
9 tablespoons water
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 pinch salt
2 tablespoons sherry
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 onion, sliced
2 bell peppers, red and green, sliced

  **you can really use any veggies you want

  **for the beef, you can also use stew beef, just be careful not to over cook it. it gets yucky if you do

Directions

1. Mix together sugar, cornstarch, soy sauce and water. Put aside

2. Heat wok and add 1 tablespoon of oil, then salt, garlic and ginger

3. Stir quickly until golden grown

4. Add beef quickly and stir constantly until beef is brown on outside

5. Shut off heat and remove from wok, put aside

6. Heat wok again and add remainder of oil(2 tablespoons)

7. Add vegetables, onion and bell peppers and stir fry

8. When veggies are cooked, add beef, sherry and chicken broth

9. Add ingredients from step 1.

10. When gravy thickens shut off heat and serve

the prep time for this is about 20-30 minutes because you have to cut your veggies and meat but it cooks in about 15mins, depending on how much you make. this recipe feeds about 6 people. I make it for my family of 4 and use the rest as left overs :) if you have any questions let me know!

It's a Love Story {Thanks Taylor Swift}

Once upon a time…

            …there was a girl, and she fell in love with a boy. This is their story.

            I was ten years old when my parents decided that we should change churches. I was in fifth grade when we began attending Trinity Presbyterian Church in Plano, Texas. I was in fifth grade when I met the love of my life.

            After Sunday school I walked into the sanctuary to sit with my parents. I scanned the room, trying to find them in the crowd. I didn’t see my parents, but I did see a boy. He was sitting in the very back row by himself. I knew he was older than me, almost in high school at the very least. I walked over to his seat, curious as to why he wasn’t sitting with the rest of the youth group, but a girl beat me to him. She was short, with red hair and she made him smile. I walked away to sit with my parents. Every Sunday I looked forward to going to church. I knew he would be sitting in the very back row, all by himself. I hadn’t gotten up the nerve to talk to him yet but I didn’t sneak a few glances during the church service. He was tall and skinny. He had reddish brown hair that begged me to run my fingers through it. He was awkward but there was something about him that drew me into him. I don’t remember how long it took, but I finally worked up the nerve to talk to him. I found out his name was Ryan and he was 14. I also found out that he wasn’t much of a talker. That’s okay. I talk enough for the both of us.

            We developed this… odd relationship. I wanted to marry him and he only vaguely tolerated me. I would sit next to him during church as often as my parents would allow and he would bring me Starbucks. Time passed and it became very obvious that he didn’t want to marry me. He found me mildly entertaining though. Still to this day I don’t know why I was so infatuated with him. He was border line mean to me and was obviously not interested. Thankfully, our story doesn’t end there.

            Fast forward about three years. I’m 13 now and Ryan is 16. The youth group at our church was hosting a lock in. Ryan was going, which meant I was too. We were in the “movie room” watching Monty Python and the Holy Grail when it happened. He leaned over and kissed me. Needless to say, Monty Python was my favorite movie for a long time. But we didn’t start dating. I went on to high school and dated other guys, but I never forgot about Ryan.

            Now, fast forward to the summer after my freshman year. I was on my computer when I see someone sign in to MSN. Guess who? Ryan. Then he messaged me “hey chick ;)”. We talked for a while. Then, the moment I had waited for since I was ten years old. “Do you want to hang out?” Our first date was… odd. Ryan and his best friend, Chris, picked me up and we went to the airport. We were picking up Chris’ date. We all went to Main Event.

            We went on several dates after that and on June 4^th, 2007 we were sitting at the park laughing at how horrible my sun burn was when he kissed me and said “So, should we make this official?” I had to think about it. Everything was happening so fast :P.

            We celebrated our five year anniversary this past June. I can’t wait to keep writing our story…

                        …And Live Happily Ever After

Wonky and Woot-tastic Wednesday

Woot:
    - I babysat AJ Monday afternoon! I was so tired but I took him outside on an adventure to the front yard. He was a little distracted by the trucks that were across the street but he discovered that he can throw leaves, which he greatly enjoys.
    - I LOVE the smell of a new book. I don't know why but it's amazing
    - My "job", if you can even call it that, is amazing. I get paid to take care of awesome kids all day. My kids are awesome!

Wonky:
    - Am I the only one that thinks the red lights in North Texas are HORRIBLY timed? Seriously... it's ridiculous!
    - My sinuses have been all kinds of messed up lately. I've had an earache all week and my head hurts off an on. Are sinuses really necessary for our existence or do you think my face/body would miss them if i just decided to somehow get rid of them?
    - I was at Wendy's yesterday and when we got up to leave... I, apparently, forgot my purse. I didn't realize that until I had driven (without my license) to Kroger. Thankfully it was only 10 minutes away from the Wendy's and when I called them they had my purse THANK GOD! However, they did ask me to describe what it looks like. This big.. giant thing that I carry around every day. Shouldn't be a problem to tell them what colors it was, right? Wrong. I completely blanked. All I could think of was brown. It's actually a tan color with patched of burnt orange and red. Oh well. I showed them my license and they gave me my purse YAY.

Well, that's my Southern Soapbox for the day! Have a good day y'all!