A Whole Lot of Nothin'....

Tonight for dinner we tried the Shepherd's Pie from Homemade Gourmet. I have to admit I was not that impressed but the Sausage Enchilada Dip was to die for!!

This evening is just kind of a boring night. Hubby is not feeling well (PLEEAAASSSEEE don't let me get it), so he is in bed. Son is spending the night at a friend's house (Thanksgiving break) and Daughter is at work until 7:30. So I am just sitting here by my lonesome blogging and watching this


Had a busy day at work, but it was produtive at the same time. Gotta love those kind of days!! Other than that there's just a whole lot of nothin, going on. So I will leave you with this...a little something I found at Carrie's Little World (not me another Carrie)! Sorry Carrie, I may have copied a few of your answers!

A-Attached or Single: Attached
B-Best Friend: My Husband and my kids
C-Cake or Pie: Cake-Strawberry with Strawberry icing
D-Day of Choice: Saturday
E-Essential Item: Computer
F-Favorite Color: Warm tones-reds,browns,greens
G-Greatest Accomplishment: My family
H-Hometown: Belleville
I-Indulgences: Blogging and Decorating
J-January or July: July
K-Kids: 1 girl and 1 boy
L-Life is incomplete without: My family, friends, and my pets
M-Marriage: Is a lot of work but well worth it in the end
N-Number of Siblings:Two-1 sister and 1 brother
O-Oranges or Apples: Oranges
P-Phobias or fears: TOO many to name...I know I have some serious issues!!
Q-Quotes: "Treat others like it may be the last time you may see them"
R-Reason to Smile: Life
S-Season: Fall
T-Tag Friends: Anyone that wants to be tagged
U-Unknown facts about me:I am a chocolate milk drinking, magazine looking, cooking show watching,book reading, decorator wanna a be, blogging addict that ♥'s her family!!
V-Very favorite store(s): Target, Gordmans and thanks to a few of you...Hobby Lobby!!
W-Worst habit: Stressing
X-X-ray or Ultra Sound: Ultra Sound-But this baby factory is CLOSED!!!
Y-Your favorite food: ALL foods...that's another issue!!
Z-Zodiac: Leo

A Weekend Full of Favorites...

Hope you all had a wonderful weekend. Ours was very nice and relaxing. For once in a long time we had NO plans. Which was perfectly fine with me because that meant I got to do a few of my favorite things...

Got to spend some ever needed QT with the ones I ♥


Started a new book


Caught up on some DVR'd episodes of


And did a little shopping here

What's For Dinner????

Every once in a while, at my work, we have different vendors of sorts set up in the lobby of our building. And yesterday, guess who was there!?!?!? Yep, Homemade Gourmet. Even though I have never tried their products before, I knew from a few of your blogs that you all had. So, I decided to give it a try...hey this Mom will take ALL of the help she can get!!

- Grandma's Sunday Roast Seasoning Mix
- Italian Mozzarella Meatloaf Mix
- Shepherd's Pie Mix
- Pumpkin Pie Cheesecake Mix
- Chicken Enchilada Soup Mix

With the Chicken Enchilada Soup Mix the distrubtor included an additional recipe perfect for "Football Food" Sunday.

Sausage Enchilada Dip

1/2 pkg. Homemade Gourmet Chicken Enchilada Soup Mix (2 1/2 Tbls)
1 can Rotel Tomatoes (Undrained)
2 - 8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup milk
1 lb. mild sausage.

Cook sausage, drain and combine sausage and remaining ingredients to small crockpot. Heat throughly, stirring frequently to prevent from sticking. Serve hot with tortilla chips.
Enjoy!! I know we will.....

Oh by the way, if any of you have any recipes suggestions for the mixes I purchased. Or any suggestions for future purchases. I would love if you shared!!

Watch Out Campgrounds of America....

Now that the kids are getting older. And the day that our daughter will be leaving for college is approaching, my husband and I have been trying to figure out something that the two of us can do as a couple. So this weekend we bought this...



In hopes to eventually buy this...




And extra bonus in all of this, is the fact that even though our 17 year old daughter will probably not want to step one foot in the camper. We figure once she leaves for college in the Fall, this will be right up our 15 year old son's alley!!

Ooopps!!!!

Ooopps!! I made a blogging "boo boo"!! I tried to do a GOOD thing Monday night. I was off work today (Tuesday, Nov. 11th) in celebration of Veteran's Day. So, I figured last night while my husband was at his Monday night dart league, my daughter was at work and my son was playing his new Call of Duty video game with his buddy, I would "catch up" and type up a few new posts all at one time.

Well, come to find out what ever date you type up your new posts is the date that is listed on your posts no matter what day you actually publish them.

So, for all TWO of you that actaully read my blog and are wondering why I have FOUR FIVE posts all under yesterdays date...now you know why!!!!{{{BLUSH!!!}}}.

Oh, the joys of being a newbie blogger!!!! LOL!!

Keepin' Warm!!! (or atleast tryin'!!!)

Considering it was only 27 degrees when I left to go to work this morning, I sure am glad I picked up a couple things this past weekend that I needed wanted...NO NEEDED!!!!!!

Football Food

Almost every Sunday during Football season, my husband request what we like to call "Football Food" And this is one of our favorites. I would like to introduce you to none other than THE.BEST.SPINACH.ARTICHOKE.DIP.EVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

INGREDIENTS
1 onion, chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 can Rotel tomatoes with green chiles
1 (4 ounce) can sliced black olives, drained
1 can artichoke hearts, chopped
1 (10 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained (I defrost mine in the microwave and let it cook for about 5 mins then drain)
10 ounces shredded Colby Jack cheese
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, cubed
1 cup half-and-half cream
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
salt and pepper to taste



DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
Saute onion in skillet over medium heat in oil until softened, about 4 minutes. Stir in Rotel, black olives and cooked spinach mix well then add vinegar, half-and-half, salt and peeper. Let simmer for a min or so until heat through then add Colby Jack cheese, cream cheese. Spoon mixture into shallow baking dish. Bake in the preheated oven until the dip is bubbly and the top is light brown, about 35 minutes.

A little Inspiration

Here's just a little inspiration I picked up this past weekend...

Main Bathroom Tour

I figured I'd better try to finish my "Halloween/Fall" tour before the Christmas decorating bug bites me harder than it already has...

Always In Our Hearts

Today would of been my Mother In Law's 68th Birthday. She passed away last January, very suddenly. This was the first birthday since her death. So needless to say, it was a hard day for all of us.

We spent the day with my Father In Law...we went to the cemetery, went to one of his favorite stores and even took him to lunch. I hope it helped make the day a little easier for him.

I know that this is just the beginning. The next few months are going to been even harder. Especially, with Thanksgiving and Christmas being the first without her. Then the anniversary of her death...but she will forever be in our hearts!!!!

Cold weather is a comin'...

Well, it is official. I think the cold weather is getting ready to settle in. Above is a picture my husband took just about a week ago. This shot was from a job site he was on. I think if you look real close you can see the building I work in...hehe!! Anyway, look how BE.U.T.FULL the weather looked. And trust me, it was!! TOO nice!!

I can't really complain though, atleast we had PERFECT weather last weekend for our Halloween Party!! Considering it has rained I think EVERY Halloween for the past 5 years on Halloween, I'll take what I can get.

But the cold is definitely here!! I guess I can officially start pulling out the sweaters!!

Mental Health Day

Have you ever had those days where you just needed a "Mental Health" Day!?!?!? Well, today I bit the bullet and took one. Hopefully, my boss won't read this...LOL!! I think I am pretty safe!!

Seriously, I know I haven't explained our whole story in detail but I haven't had a day alone in my house for years!! I'm not even kidding...you see, up until about a month and a 1/2 ago, my husband had been home on Workman's Compensation due to an injury he endured almost SIX years ago!!

So, when I woke up this morning and realized that the kids where headed to school and "Big Daddy" was headed to work, I decided today was THE day!!Even though now my guilt is getting the best of me...Oh well, I think I will get over it!!

This is an example of some of the things I have been doing (or should I said NOT doing...hehe!) today.

Good Food...Good Friends...Good Times!!

Halloween Party 2008

Living Room Tour

Here are some pics of my living room...I would love to paint this room a darker, more warmer color but too many projects going on as is. Not to mention the fact that the hubby would probably divorce me if I added another thing to the "list"!! LOL!!