The Best Birthday Gift

I had an amazing birthday with family, even though it was only 14 degrees on my birthday!! The best news came the day after my birthday though I checked my Praxis II exam results also known as the ASHA exam and I PASSED!!

This means that once I graduate in May I can get my license and finally get big-girl job, that pays money!! It also means that I passed two huge tests (Praxis and COMPS) and all I have to do now to graduate is complete my hospital placement. No more studying for this girl!

Thanks to everyone for all their support over the years, I know I couldn't have gotten this far without everyone. Going out to dinner that night with Matt felt extra special since we had so much celebrate!

Newest Member of the Family

No it isn't a baby, although it may seem like it sometimes. We are proud mommy and daddy to Bosco, an 11 week boxer. After calling a guy that advertised in the local newspaper to see where he was located, we found out he was only 20 minutes away! Now this was a huge deal as everyone else I called for weeks was 2-3 hours away. We decided to go look at the puppy after Matt got off work, and well Bosco was too cute!! He was friendly but took a second or two to come up to us. His mother was on-site and looked so pretty. The breeder had put the ad up on Tuesday and by the time we got there on Thursday Bosco was the only one still available. I can't imagine why anyone would have passed up such an amazing puppy! Here is our first family photo with Bosco!

As soon as we got in the car with the little guy, we realized what are we going to do with him while we buy everything? Well I decided to call my mom and see if she would dog sit the little guy, and she was more than willing. So not only did Mom and Paul get to meet Bosco, but Bosco got to meet Maggie. At first she wasn't too sure about him since he is so small but they warmed up and seem to be good friends! Luckily Maggie didn't seem to mind being climbed on that night.

Once we got all his goodies and watched him play with Maggie for awhile it was time to head home, and get him used to his home! Soon as we got there I took outside to go potty with no success, he had many obstacles to overcome though since he wasn't used to being outside or on a leash. I mean really what dog doesn't like grass?? Well that would be Bosco on the first night we had him. After trying to get him in the grass and to go potty in the grass he had worked up quite an appetite so it was time for some dinner. While it was late, we wanted to feed him to make him more comfortable. He seemed to love his food and had no trouble eating!

He seemed kinda sad once he was all done eating. I mean who could resit this face?

So after some more potty outings he really started to love on his stuffed goat that we got him!

Then it time for bed, and well Bosco didn't exactly love his "house." I don't have pictures of this stage since there was some hard core crying, and Matt ended up sitting/sleeping right next to his "house" so he would stop crying. The first night went pretty well after he fell asleep it was just a long process to get him to sleep. It has been getting better each night, so hopefully before long there will be no crying!!

Changes

Many things have changed since the last post. We are in a new state, in a new apartment, I am working at my school placement, and Matt is about to start to start to start his new job at Time Warner on Monday. It is a time of mixed emotions as we have family and friends in Ohio but we had to leave family and friends in Georgia. It was very hard leave Sara, Neal, and Riley, I miss them all so much already!!! I had grown so close to my sister (and brother in-law, and niece puppy) over the 5 years that I was living in Valdosta, and I am so thankful for that time to together.We shared many ups and downs together, but she was always there for me though it all, baking and cooking up a storm on Sunday.

The move went pretty well over all. The Uhual didn't live the hills so a 13 hour drive turned into a 16 hour drive with the check engine light most of the way, but we made it. Thanks again to EVERYONE that helped to load or unload the truck you were amazing and we couldn't have done it without you! The apartment is looking like a home, once we get it a little further along I will post pictures on here. We need a hang a few more pictures and put a few boxes away for storage.

My school placement is going great! I love my school and my mentor, I think I am going to have lots of good experiences this semester. This week was mainly the paperwork, scheduling the children, and the first week of school drama, but I got to see a few kids for screenings which was great. I can't wait to see how everything plays out over the semester.

Fishing in Suwannee

No need to get your eyes checked you read that right, I went fishing! And not just siting on the side of a pond fishing but on a boat in the ocean fishing. It was so much fun!! Matt's boss invited us down to his step-father's place and wow what a place he has. It was so peaceful and quiet out there, and perfect little getaway before the move. The weather wasn't perfect, but we made it work and we got plenty of time out on the water. We got rained on every time we went out, but we managed to avoid the really bad weather.The catfish were really biting this week-end, but we also caught some trout, a flounder, and Brian caught a shark!!

 I sure could get used to waking up to this view!

Matt putting some bait (shrimp) on his line!

See I really did fish!!

Not really want you want to see while out in a boat on the ocean! Here comes to storms and waterspouts!

Playing in the Ocean

So these pictures are past due but here a few more pictures from the trip to St. Augustine.

St. Augustine

While Matt's mom and nieces were town we took a little overnight trip to St. Augustine. This is one of our favorite places to visit. It brought back so many great memories of getting engaged there and going there during our honeymoon. It was different going there with two kids, but it was a good kind of different. We had such a great time hanging out with everyone last week, it made me kinda excited to move to Ohio in 9 days! Here are some pictures of around town, another post will have some sunrise and beach pictures.

Jambalaya

I can't believe I have never posted this recipe on here before now. This is a top request of company, yet it is so simple and quick to make. I made it when my mom was in town and I finally took pictures. While they aren't the best pictures since our apartment is so dark, they will do. I used Paula Deen's recipe as a base and then make a few changes to make it my own.

You can make this first part whenever and store it, or do like i do and just mix it up as you making dinner.
Jambalaya Mix: 

1 cup long-grain rice
3 tablespoons dried minced onion (I leave out and add fresh diced onion while cooking)
1 tablespoon dried parsley flakes
1 beef bouillon cube
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (cut down to less, unless you like lots of spice!)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 bay leaf
In a small bowl, combine rice, onion, parsley, beef bouillon, thyme, garlic powder, black pepper, cayenne pepper, salt, and bay leaf. Pour into cellophane bag. Store in an air-tight container.

Now onto the making of the meal
2 1/2 cups water
1 (14 oz) can diced tomatoes
1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce
1/2 lb. fully cooked smoked sausage (sliced thin)
1/2 lb. shrimp, peeled and deveined

In a dutch oven saute the sausage and onion (if using fresh) to until translucent.
Add mix, water, tomatoes, tomato sauce to the sausage (I usually add some fresh garlic as well)
Bring mixture to a boil over medium-high heat
Cover, reduce heat and simmer for 20-minutes
Add shrimp and cook for additional 5-7 minutes, or until shrimp are done.

Busy Times

Sorry it has been awhile! I have had great plans to post about so many things, but time just seems to slip by...

Last Sunday, was our 1 year anniversary, I can't believe we have been married year already. It seems like just yesterday that we were surrounded by family and family exchanging vows. Thank you for everyone's support and love over the past year, it means more to us both than you could ever imagine. We went out and enjoyed a yummy steak dinner at a local steakhouse. It was nice to look back thought the wedding album and remember all the great memories of the day!

In other news I have 1 class and 1 final standing between me and my school placement. Grad. school has flown by, I can't believe I am done taking college classes forever! I will say I am going to miss all of speech girls so much though, we have been though so much together. This last week is going to be very bitter-sweet, since we are all leaving and going to different places for our placements.

Matt's mom, one of his sisters, Becky, her boyfriend, Clint, and our two nieces are all coming down this week also. It will be nice to show them all where we lived for the first year of our marriage, and hang out together. We have some fun things planned that I will share later with pictures. Hopefully we can get some packing done as well since we have 3 weeks until we make the move back up to Ohio!! I will most likely be pretty MIA this week, since as you can tell we have lots going on here in South Georgia.

4th of July, a little late

Sorry it has been so long!! Grad. school is officially killing me!! I don't know if it the the fact that is my last semester on campus or that is summer, but I feeling I am drowning in school. It is pretty crazy that I have 10 little classes left (not that I am counting or anything)  to this semester then I going out for my school then medical placement. The time has flown by, it seems like just last year I was a college freshman!

So back to the 4th. We had a pretty laid back week-end which was nice. Matt went fishing the morning of the 4th, then that evening we went over to Sara and Neal's for a cook-out. We enjoyed some yummy tacos and had a good time hanging out with everyone. I didn't take any pictures, so you will have to check out Sara's blog for those.

Since I can't do a post without pictures, I figured I would include one from the very start of our relationship.  I figured it was fitting since our dating anniversary is on the 4th of July.

Father's Day

Happy Father's Day to all the Dads out there. I am very lucky to have such a caring and loving Dad, and even if I am 23 and married, I will always be his little girl! Dad came down this week-end to spend the week-end with me, Sara, Matt, and Neal. It was nice to spend some time together, hang out, shop, and eat some great food. In honor of Father's Day I looked though the pictures on my laptop for a few of me and Dad, while the true childhood pictures were before the digital ages I have a few to share.

Amish Friendship Bread

Now I will start off with a warning, this "friendship" bread can cost you friends if you aren't careful. We have all been offered one of these starters before and the first time you make it is great. You have yummy bread to enjoy, and it wasn't that hard. Even though you did have to feed and mush the bag for 10 days leading up to your yummy treat. But the real problem is trying to give out all these starters as each time you make bread you end up with 4 starters.
Now being the planner that I am, as soon as my boss gave me one of these bags I looked for answers on Google (I mean how I did live before Google??). Well the answer to keeping my friends happy was simple, just freeze the starters that you get and defrost when you want to make more bread. You just bake the bread once it defrosts and no 10 day waiting period is involved. Just be sure that once you are down to one bag in the freezer you start the 10 day process over so you end up with more starters to freeze.
Now you don't have anyone that wants to pawn this starter off onto you? Well although the starter is an Amish secret, it has somehow found its way on-line. So you can always just make your own starter. I have never made my own starter as my boss gave me starter. You aren't supposed to use any metal when making this so break out the glass bowels and wooden spoons (read some tips below for the baking process). But here is a recipe to make things simple:

The starter:
1 pk. active dry yeast
1/2 c. warm water
1 c. flour
1 c. sugar
1 c. warm milk

To make the original starter: Soften the active dry yeast with 1/4 c. of warm water for about 10 minutes. Stir with a wooden spoon, not metal. In a non-metal bowl, combine 1 c. flour with 1 c. sugar. Slowly stir in the 1c. of warm milk and the dissolved yeast. Cover loosely and let stand. Mixture will become bubbly.
This is considered day 1

Now everyone has there starter and in 10 days you will be enjoying some yummy bread.
Day 1-Mush the bag.
Day 2- Mush the bag
Day 3- Mush the bag.
Day 4- Mush the bag.
Day 5- Mush the bag.
Day 6-Add 1 c. flour, 1 c. sugar, and 1 c. milk. Mush the bag.
Day 7- Mush the bag.
Day 8- Mush the bag.
Day 9- Mush the bag.
Day 10-Pour the mixture into a non-metal bowl. Mix with a wooden or plastic spoon. Add 1 1/2 c. flour, 1 1/2 c. sugar, and 1 1/2 c. milk. (some say 1 cup of each, so whichever you would rather). Fill 4 gallon Ziploc bags with 1 cup of mixture to pass or freeze.

To the remaining starter in the bowl add:

3 eggs
1 cup of oil (I only used 1/2 cup of oil, and it was still very moist)
½ cup of cold milk
1 cup of sugar (again I cut back)
2 tsp cinnamon (left out since i did banana bread, read tips for directions and ideas)
½ tsp vanilla
1 ½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
1 ½ tsp salt
2 cups flour
2 small boxes of instant vanilla pudding (I used one large, different flavors can be used)

Mix all the ingredients together, separate into two loaf pans and bake at 350 for about 1 hour.
Notes and Tips:
* I used my Kitchenaid to mix the bread with no problem, and even baked on loaf in a metal pan. So I wouldn't worry to much about metal when making the bread.*
*This is a very forgiving mixture. You can forgot to mush, or add things a day late or early with no problem. I baked my bread on day 9, because we were going out of a town on day 10. No harm done!*
* I also did my own thing when adding on day 10, I added a little about 3/4 cup of sugar since I felt it might be to sweet.*
*I made banana bread out of mine instead of the traditional type which turned out great, I used banana cream pudding instead of vanilla, mushed two bananas, and left out cinnamon from the traditional one.*
*Next time I make it I think I am going to do a fake coffee cake, using my mom famous Merck's coffee cake crumb mixture. The plan is to put down some bread mixture, the crumb mixture, more bread, and top it off with the crumb.*
*There are tons of web-sites with different varieties so be creative, one of my favorite that has tons of tips is: My Sister's Kitchen*

Taco Mac

This has been making it rounds on all the blogs that I read, so some may have seen this one before. It is super easy and is very tasty. While it may not sound like it makes very much, it would easily feed 4 or maybe even 5. We had dinner one night and a few lunches out of it. It re-heats well so it wasn't a problem to get rid of the leftovers. It is similar to the old hamburger helper, only you can control everything that goes into it. I think this one will be cooked many times in our house.
Sometimes I am not the greatest food blogger, as I often don't get a good picture. Which you would think wouldn't be a problem since I LOVE taking pictures. But our kitchen is so dark even in the middle of day it is impossible to get good lighting for a picture, and we normally eat at 7 or after which only complicates things further. Hopefully next time I make it I can get a  picture.

Taco Mac from Lauren's Kitchen

1 lb ground beef or turkey ( I used beef, since we had it on hand)
1/2 medium onion chopped

8 oz dry pasta (I used shells, but any type would work)
1 cup reserved pasta water
16 oz jar of salsa
4 tbs. taco seasoning (I just used one packet)
3 oz. cream chesse
1/2 cup sour cream
1 cup shredded Mexican chesse

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook pasta. Before draining reserve one cup of pasta water.
Brown ground beef in a large skillet, add onion and cook until tender, about 5 min.
Add taco seasoning and salsa, then simmer over low heat for 5 minutes.
Add cooked pasta, reserved water, cream chesse, sour cream, and shredded cheese.
Stir until chesses are melted and mixed through.
Simmer over low heat for 3-5 minutes, then serve. (you can add more shredded chesse at the end if you want more)

Maymester is Over

So with the close of Maymester, I am greeted with a whole 6 days off of school. I sure do miss summer break, but I guess this is part of being a grown-up. I decided that an overnight trip to the beach was in order, so I got on Priceline and found us a deal for our hotel. I will say that the "name your own price" feature on there web-site has allowed us to go on many week-ends trip. But back to the trip, it was amazing! We did some shopping, ate some local GA shrimp for lunch, and spent hours at the beach. I am normally a little scared of swimming in the ocean as your never know what is swimming near you, but I pushed these thoughts aside and jumped in ! This beach is amazing, you could walk for what seemed like forever before it got deep. I would say we were at least 300 yards out in the ocean and the water was only mid-chest level!!  I wish I had pictures of how far out in the ocean we were, but there was no way to take the picture. It was so relaxing to get away for a little bit, and just enjoy each others company. I love going places with Matt, and just getting away to stop and enjoy each others company. Here are a few of the pictures from the trip, I don't have many of beach as I didn't want to leave my camera alone on the beach for so long!

Meatloaf Re-Mix

Meatloaf is one of my husband's favorite meals, but I wanted to change it up a little bit. This had mixed reviews at home (i.e. I loved, and Matt didn't), but I took leftovers to work and everyone that tried it loved it. So I figured even though it might not make an appearance at our house again, I would still share it on here. Just remember it is meatloaf with a little bit of kick, not your grandmother's meatloaf. I made one other change to this so I wouldn't have to heat up the oven, since we are into the warmer weather of south GA. I have 4 ramekins that I love, but don't get to use very often so I broke them out and baked the meatloaf in them. I was worried about the grease but I think using turkey breast help with that concern. It turned out great, and I was able to cook it in the toaster oven!!

Meatloaf Re-Mix
1 lb. ground turkey breast
1/2 med. onion, chopped
2 tbs. olive oil
1 egg
1 packet taco seasoning
1 10oz can of RoTel (drained)
1 cup tortilla chips crushed (I only had 1/2 cup, also used 1/2 cup bread crums)
1 cup shredded Mexican chesse
Taco sauce to brush on top



Preheat oven to 400.
Heat olive oil and saute onions until tender
Mix all ingredients except for taco sauce until well combined.
Spray pan and form loaf. (or divide into ramekins, it filled up 4 ramekins perfectly)
Brush top of meatloaf with taco sauce.
Bake 30-40 min. (took about the same time in the toaster oven)

Red Velvet Cheesecake Cake

This post has been sitting here waiting for me to post for awhile. One night while I was looking though my google reader, Matt noticed and picture and said I had to make this tonight. Well I read though the recipe and while it looked great, it was complex and it involved a layered cake something I have never tackled before. With some encouragement from my husband, we found our way to Publix to pick up the ingredients that we didn't have at home. Once we got home I set out some of the cheesecake ingredients to come to room temp. and said a prayer. Not only I was attempting a layered cake for the first time but also real cheesecake and homemade red velvet cake and homemade icing. Well you could use a box mix for the cake or icing. I was surprised with how much lighter and yummy the homemade cake tasted, so it was worth the effort to me. Now I don't want to scare anyone away from this, really nothing is that hard in the recipe just lots of steps and kinda time consuming. I found it worked out nicely to make the cheesecake the night before and then just make the cakes and icing the day of.
  Now I know this is getting long for me, but I had a major meltdown when trying to get the cheesecake out of the pan after it had chilled overnight. I didn't have a spring form pan so I decided to just make do with a cake pan, well it didn't go so well. When i flipped the pan over the cheesecake broke into a million pieces, but I managed to put it back together and all was fine.

I followed the recipe without any changes so I here is the link to where I found the recipe.  As you can see it has been complied from many different sources. Erins food files has many other yummy things so check her out while you are there.

Here are a few pictures of my cake to share as well.....