NC State Fair=Happiness

Safety first!

Cameron and Christine getting ready for the swings to take off. Pray for safety.

Mid air on the swings.

Erin on the swings.

Silly face from Miss Grace Elizabeth. Welcome back to Raleigh!!

Gracie was getting so excited about the Catepillar Roller Coaster. Precious!

So excited about the roller coaster, she's pulling her daddy's hair!

This "band" covered The Electric Slide. Amazing.

My favorite thing at the fair. Heaven in the form of mini doughnuts covered in cinnamon sugar.

The prize winning pumpkins! The biggest one was over 300 lbs!

Turkey Shoot. Classic.

Mmm, ranch is good.

I mean, this is the mecca for Fair goers. The fried stuff booth. The oreos are bangin'.

Tobacco: It's what we do.

Erin & Erin

Bluegrass Group: This is why I love where I live.

The creepy troll dolls sold at the Village of Yesteryear

Ferris Wheel: note the clouds, it rained a couple of hours later.

Christie and James with an eclair and Erin with what seems like a weapon (it was in her corn dog, yikes!).

Anti-Anti Bacterial

I'm sure that some of you have heard of this debate over anti-bacterial soap.  There is talk that a chemical found in most anti-bacterial soaps is not breaking up and ending up in our rivers, oceans, and waterways as it goes down our drains.  There have been quite a few studies that have shown that regular soap (bars of soap, those cute french milled hand soaps, etc) cleans hands just as well as the newer anti bacterial soaps.

There is a blog that I just started following this week (young house love) that I have really become a follower of.  The couple is great and they have wonderful advice for renovating a house and decorating.  Anyway, Sherry, one half of the blog team, has a brother who is going through grad school at Columbia for chemistry and they got to talking about this topic and she shared what his take was on this.  Read that here.

I have recently banned anti bacterial soap from our house for a couple of reasons:
1.  I ran out a couple of months ago and have not restocked (this is beside the point).
2.  I've read about these debates and have gotten concerned for my family's health (ridding our bodies of good bacteria) and our environment (Falls Lake is toxic enough without more help from these soaps).
3.  My mom bought me a lovely assortment of soaps from Crabtree and Evelyn a couple of Christmases ago and I'd love to use them in our bathrooms.

So, what do you think?

Tasty Tuesday: Mexicano Style

Hello All! Here is a variation of a Mexican Shepherd's Pie recipe that my mother-in-law, Joanne, made for us a couple of weeks ago. I had some of my friends over last night and we watched Hocus Pocus (to ring in the Halloween season), ate this pie, and made dessert fondue. Overall, wonderful night!

Mexican Shepherd's Pie

1 tbsp Olive Oil
1 Green Bell Pepper, chopped bite size
1/2 Sweet White Onion, chopped bite size
2 lbs Ground Beef
1 Package of Taco Seasoning
1 Can of Corn, drained
1/2 Can of Tomato Paste
1 Can of Mild Rotel Tomatoes
4 cups of Shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese
3 1/2 lbs Baking Potatoes (4 big potatoes)
1/2 cup Sour Cream
3 tbsp Butter
Salt and Pepper
Handful of Chopped Chives

Pre heat oven to 350. In a large pot begin boiling enough water for potatoes. Salt water once it heats up.

In a large skillet heat olive oil on medium heat. Throw in chopped onion and pepper and sautee until onions are translucent. Add meat and begin browning. Once meat is fully cooked drain the fat and return to pan. Add taco seasoning and tomato paste, stir thoroughly. Add Rotel tomatoes (not drained) and corn, stir. Once everything is mixed together pour mixture into a 9x12 (or something comparable) baking dish and spread evenly across the bottom. Sprinkle 3 cups of cheese over top of meat mixture.

Cut potatoes into large chunks and add to boiling water. The potatoes should take about 20-30 minutes to cook so try to add them as soon as the water boils. Once potatoes are done, remove from water with a slotted spoon into a mixing bowl. Mash. Then add sour cream, butter, salt, pepper, and chives and stir completely. If the potatoes seem dry, add a TOUCH of milk. Spread potatoes evenly over meat and cheese. Sprinkle the last bit of cheese on top of potatoes.

Bake uncovered for 20 minutes at 350.

Enjoy!!

Tasty Tuesday, late.

This is my belated Tasty Tuesday recipe. I don’t have fancy photos like Laura, but this is a great and easy meal. Also, it is perfect for weekly lunches and since I work away from home it’s a nice change from sandwiches or Lean Cuisines.

Chicken Pockets

3 Cresent Roll tubes (reduced fat), refrigerated

1 lb package of fresh chicken tenders

1 8oz package fat free cream cheese

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (I prefer sharp cheddar in a block that I shred myself)

1 tablespoon mayonnaise (optional, I just think it adds a nice flavor and I LOVE mayo)

½ red bell pepper, diced into tiny cubes

2 carrots, diced into tiny cubes

2 tablespoons fresh dill

2 tablespoons fresh parsley

Salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Add chicken tenders to boiling salted water. While chicken is boiling, combine remaining ingredients in a mixing bowl. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Once, chicken is done (about 12 minutes to be safe) remove tenders onto a cutting board. With two forks, shred all tenders. Add shredded chicken to filling mixture and stir well.

Spray foil-lined baking sheet with cooking spray. Remove dough from containers and lay out on counter. Divide dough into four rectangles (per package) by pressing dough along perforated line. Apply chicken mixture to half of the rectangle and fold other side over. Press edges together with a fork to seal.

Bake at 350 for 14 minutes (adjust as you need).

This recipe made 12 pockets. Jeremy and I each had two Monday night and we’ve each had one or two for lunch this week. There are so many ways to vary this recipe and I’m excited to try a Southwestern version soon!!

October

Thank you Lord, for October. It is a time of comfort, fun, and feelings of home. Thank you October for arriving so promptly and for bringing such nice gifts as this weather.


Tune in later for a recipe post (Sorry Laura, I couldn't make it Tasty Tuesday). Also, thanks to Pottery Barn for the post photo. It's perfect.

Purse and Boots

So, my beautiful little sister just got back from Taiwan. She was on the Women's Soccer Team for the Deaf Olympics. They won the GOLD medal! Amazing! Jeremy and I are so proud of her. My parents were also in Taiwan and my brother was at the house watching the dog. Well, Tyler (brother) had to head out of town for a night so Jeremy and I stayed with my parents' dog at their house. What do I do while I'm there? Raid my sister's closet, duh. See, when I was growing up, my sister always took my things (as all little sisters do, I think there's a class they have to attend). She took clothes, make-up, toys, etc. If it was mine, she wanted it. Well, there was nothing of hers that I wanted at that age so all I could do was whine to my mother and tell on her. However, now that I am married, my husband has recently lost his job, and I have no money to shop, I now steal my sister's things. She has the same style as I do, only she has money of her own and my parents still buy her things. So, I borrowed a bag that I love of hers and a shirt. The shirt she'll get back soon, the purse however, well, it'll be awhile. I'm in love. Therefore, I'm posting this photo for many reasons. I wanted my sister to know that I'm taking care of the bag and I wanted y'all to see the colors in this fabric: so rich and complementary. Also, the boots and the bag are perfect together with jeans and white shirt. Lastly, just to say: Anna, it's my turn (wink). I love you!

Etsy Love: My September Favorites

1. This sweater is what I love about fall. The color is like oatmeal and I can practically smell the mulling spices simmering on the stove. Buy it here.

2. Soft wool felt makes this so plush and cozy and the message is right up my alley! Buy it here.

3. The artist that creates these necklaces is one of my new favorites. This would bring such drama to a plain t-shirt and jeans, love the color combination as well. Buy it here.

4. Perfect art for my house. The neutral color from the masonite and the splash of pale blue would be lovely in my bedroom (at least the bedroom in my head that is all designed to a T). Buy it here.

5. Sweet little clutch. In a great camel brown this goes with all fall jewel toned outfits. Buy it here.

6. This just screams fall goddess to me. I love this idea, if only I would be gutsy enough to wear these amazing hair accessories. Buy it here.

7. What a perfect photo for autumn. My friends and I get so darn excited about pumpkins, I mean look at them, perfection. Buy it here.

So each month I've decided to share some great finds from searching around on Etsy. I absolutely love Etsy and I know that a lot of my friends do too. It is such a great place to find unique gifts for anyone at anytime! Have fun browsing, I know you'll get hooked!

P.S. Laura, I love the idea of Tasty Tuesdays! I'm thinking of a great recipe for next Tuesday's post! Miss you L-CatRob!

Chicken Soup and a Hint of Fall

*Can you tell I love fall? Thanks to Etsy.com and dear Kelsi for the photo advice. And thank you to Jeremy for lovingly cooking our favorite soup for my scratchy throat, I love you.

Mr. A-Z and Beach Bums

We had the pleasure of going to see Jason Mraz with our dear friends, Erin and Brandon. Man, that girl has a pretty name, wink. We had a blast and heard some great music.

The beach trip was, as always, perfection. The most beautiful beach, friends, hilarious family, and did I mention beach. What could be better? More summer pictures to come...

Carthage

Since I'm still blog illiterate, I put the photos in backwards. Please look at the photos from top to bottom to get the beginning to end effect.

This trip was for 4th of July weekend. It was a ton of fun and we're going back this weekend!! Hopefully there will be lots of laying around and doing nothing. I will miss my husband (see picture of him below having way too much fun spraying everyone with freezing cold water) as he will be home, studying. I love you baby, stay focused. Oh, and clean the guest bathroom please!!!