Halloween 2012

I know the pictures are sideways so sorry for that, I changed them on my computer and they still got imported like this :/ And I don't know how to fix it!! 

My baby girl was a princess a few days before Halloween but by Halloween day it was cold nad rainy and I had to get her a warmer costume so hence, the LION. I went with this versus something girlier because I wanted to be able to use it for future children, always thinking about them even though I haven't met them yet :) 

This was her first picture, it just now occurred to me that had I put a hat on under the hood of the jacket it would have stayed out of her eyes better. lol 

She loved her basket, it had her tippy cup in it :)

Before you ask, the jacket was stuffed, in all honesty it was a little TOO poofy so maybe next time we get to use it I can open it up and get some of the stuffing out. 

Her and Daddy, she's not looking.

Next one Brandon looks high but I promise he was just blinking. lol 

This was the FIRST house that we went to. Brandon pushing BellaBoo and her Uncle Ryon who was also a lion this year.

Hope you all had safe, fun Halloweens! 

God Bless! 

Beef and Noodles

This is a delicious, very quick version of Beef and Noodles. It only has 4 ingredients and is SO easy to remember. My made this all the time while I was growing up and I LOVED it, I always assumed that it was really hard to make so when I got married and wanted to make it, I asked my mom for the recipe. I was AMAZED that such a wonderful flavor came from just a few simple ingredients!

First off, I must say that these noodles are amazing!! You will need a whole bag of them. I know that at my grocery store they are back on a shelf by the dairy, not in the pasta aisle but they may not always be the case.

Also you will need Hormel Beef Roast Au jus and a packet of Brown gravy. 

The fourth ingredient I mentioned is Beef stock. So first just get 7 cups of beef stock and noodles cooking on medium high (I find it goes WAY faster to start with hot tap water). 

Next cook the Beef Roast in the microwave for recommended time, pour the gravy into the pot then shred the beef and add to the noodles. 

Once thee noodles are cooked, add the brown gravy. You may not notice a huge change in consistency until it starts to cool but it adds great flavor and is SO worth it.

Enjoy and God Bless.

Texas Toast (not the Garlic Bread!)

My Great Aunt Beverly used to make this and she called it Texas Toast. The last time I saw her before she passed was in 4th grade so remembering her in this recipe is a wonderful feeling, I miss her so much! 

This works wonderful as a breakfast or as a side to a big family breakfast! It only has 3 ingredients and once you make it one time you will never need to look back at the recipe again, it is so easy! All you need is sausage, I use Jimmy Dean Country Mild, english muffins and some shredded cheese (any kind really). 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Basically ALL you have to do is cook the sausage, drain it and add some cheese, stir it until it is melted on. 

Scoop all of the sausage and cheese onto English muffins (I used 5 out of 6 of them). 

Cook at 350 for 10 minutes and they are good to go! 

Enjoy your Texas Toast and God Bless! 

Fall Tradition

Thanks to a picture I saw on Pinterest I got the cutest idea for a Fall tradition to do with my kids, starting with my BellaBoo. :) 

So the other day I went outside (in 60 degree weather in October??) and raked some leaves into a big number one and took her picture next to it.

                     

She wasn't much interested in it but she was loving playing with the rake. 

This one is my favorite, I love that little girl! 

I did learn some stuff for next year though. Do it in the shade. I did not take the pictures in the shade and they are so bright it hurts my eyes to look at the pictures. lol If you don't take them in the shade, at least make sure you face the number so that you can't see your own shadow. It was hard to get a good shot when all I could focus on was getting my shadow out of view. Maybe next yearI will have a child to write a ZERO next to, say some prayers for us :) 

Is this something that you would do? 

Do you have any fall traditions of just things you like to do this time of year?

NO to United Airlines

For any of you who don't know who Abby Johnson is, she is an amazing Pro-Life woman who stands up for the rights of children and women everywhere. She is a former Planned Parenthood director and after leaving she wrote the inspirational book unPlanned. Please check out this article about United Airlines, why we should boycott them and what we Should do to help.

You can find the article (below) on Abby's blog.

"Today I received my standard weekly email from my former Planned Parenthood affiliate, Planned Parenthood Gulf Coast. You would think they would have removed my name and email by name, but that is another story. Anywho, it was a pretty boring update with nothing exciting to report, but as I was scrolling through, something caught my attention. This particular affiliate always has their big gala event at the Hyatt in downtown Houston. Lots of well-to-do Houstonians come to show support of this huge affiliate (4th largest in the country to be exact) and all of the “services” they provide, including abortion. No one that comes is surprised that Planned Parenthood provides abortion services. No, they know that all too well. In fact, the people that come to this particular gala for this particular affiliate come because they are PROUD to support the largest abortion clinic in the Western Hemisphere. They know what abortion is. They know what abortion looks like. They know, and they support it proudly…at $500 per individual ticket.

So, back to the attention getter. I always like to see the names of the high rollers who are listed as the “co-chairs” of the event. These are donors who give tens of thousands of dollars to the affiliate and are therefore asked to put their name down on the invitation. They usually have some sort of status among the elite local community. Name recognition is important when you are trying to raise over a million dollars at one event. I scrolled through the invitation and there it was, a name that was VERY familiar to me. Jeff Smisek.

That name may not ring a bell to you. But I know it well. I spend most of my life on airplanes. Before every take off we get a little safety demonstration. If we are lucky enough to be on a decent sized plane, that demonstration is shown on a video. I personally prefer to fly on airlines that are in the “Star Alliance.” Some of those include United, US Airways, and Lufthansa. I am a million mile flyer with this program, which comes with a few perks. Because of this, I try to stick with United when I travel. When the United safety demonstration video begins, a message from the CEO comes on first. He is thanking us for traveling on United and talks about how image is so important to his airline. That man’s name? Jeff Smisek.

I almost couldn’t believe what I saw on this invitation. Surely not. Surely not MY Jeff Smisek! Surely not the CEO of my favorite airline!! Let it be a lie!!! He was actually listed with someone else, a lady named Diana Strassmann. http://www.ppaction.org/site/Calendar?id=102855&view=Detail.  Hoping there was someone else with the name, Jeff Smisek, I googled both of their names together to see what I would find. Well, they are married. And Jeff Smisek, CEO of United and Jeff Smisek, co-chair of Planned Parenthood’s annual gala are one in the same.

Now I was disappointed…and angry. And I am doing something about it. Jeff Smisek runs the second largest airline in the world. And now he is co-chairing an event for the LARGEST ABORTION CLINIC IN THE WESTERN HEMISPHERE. This abortion clinic’s goal is to perform at least 75 abortions, 6 days a week. They intend to perform abortions up to 25 weeks gestation. And THAT is what the CEO of United Airlines stands for.

Well, this million mile flyer has had enough. It is time to expose Jeff Smisek for who he really is. He is helping to kill the most defenseless among us. And apparently, he is PROUD to do it! He has his name plastered on their invitation! I am taking a stand against United. Will you stand with me? Will you say NO to United Airlines? This one clinic ALONE in Houston is killing over 23,000 babies per year!!! THAT is what Jeff Smisek is supporting. Jeff says United Airlines cares about their image…well, let’s see how much they care. Let’s get this message sent out far and wide. On my website at www.abbyjohnson.org, I have included a sample “letter to the editor” that you can send in to your local paper. Share this article on your blog. Share it on your Facebook and Twitter. We need to hold these people accountable. Our voices DO make a difference…and our dollars DEFINITELY make a difference! Stand against Jeff Smisek! Stand against United Airlines!   Email Jeff Smisek today and share your disgust.  jeff.smisek@united.com.

Letter to the Editor
Planned Parenthood Gulf Coast, located in Houston is the 4th largest Planned Parenthood affiliate in the United States. They run the largest abortion clinic in the Western Hemisphere. This clinic’s goal is to perform at least 75 abortions, 6 days a week. That totals over 23,000 abortions per year. And they terminate pregnancies up to 25 weeks gestation…that is babies over 6 months old.

So, you can imagine the surprise I felt when I found out that the CEO of United Airlines, Jeff Smisek, was “co-chairing” this particular affiliate’s annual gala in Houston, Texas. www.ppaction.org. When flying on United, you will often see a video of the safety demonstration on television monitors throughout the plane. Before the demonstration begins, Jeff Smisek will come on and thank you for flying and tell you that “image” is very important to his airline. Well, let’s see if that is really true. Myself, along with thousands of other pro-lifers across the country, are taking a stand against United Airlines. Jeff Smisek runs the second largest airline in the world. And now he is co-chairing an event for the LARGEST ABORTION CLINIC IN THE WESTERN HEMISPHERE. Enough is enough. It is time to expose Jeff Smisek for who he really is. He is helping to kill the most defenseless among us. And apparently, he is PROUD to do it! He has his name plastered on their invitation! I am taking a stand against United. Will you stand with me? Will you say NO to United Airlines? Our voices DO make a difference…and our dollars DEFINITELY make a difference! Stand up for life!  Email Jeff Smisek today and share your disgust.  jeff.smisek@united.com."

God Bless you and hope you have a wonderful day!!