Easy Hamburger Casserole

Okkkaayy... here goes nothing.

Lets be clear here folks, I am not a blogger, that should be clear from my whopping TWO posts last year. I don't know how to handle a dslr camera, even though Ive had one fore years, + oh boy my grammar is equivalent to that of a middle schooler. seriously. so... just power through!

now, I am not a good cook but any means. its a fact. I used to nneeevveerrr cook + when I did, ramen noodles and chili burritos were up there in the 'most used' category. To be honest, Blake has probably made more meals in our marriage than I have. *insert shame face here*
so in 2016 I promised myself that I was going to actually give it my best effort and try to learn + cook. I am SO glad I did. my picker little eaters have devoured almost everything I have made. ive felt like a great mom + wife. You want to know my favorite part? leftovers. major leftovers + they're good too! so we're going to keep it up!
But this stuff is good. And I am a total visual learner. All recipe's should mandatorily come with pictures. That's how I feel about cooking. so i took pictures, bad pictures, but pictures none the less.

So, here we go!

• 5-6 cups cooked rice
• (2) 22oz cans of cream of chicken
• 1-2 cups chopped celery (Celery is my least favorite food, ever, so i always err on the small side.)
• 3 lbs Ground Beef
• Chow Mein Noodles (optional)

___________________________________________________________________
Step One:
Cook the rice. This takes the longest time 25-30 minutes so I always do this step first.

Step Two:
Brown the beef + warm up the cream of chicken. Set cream of chicken to simmer. Drain grease from meat + put meat in a separate bowl.

Step Three:
In the same pan you just cooked the meat, saute the celery with a bit of butter. Pour meat back in with celery + mix together.

Now Everything is basically done + all that's left is layering + baking. Before layering turn on the oven to 350*. Now Layering, first the meat, then rice, then the cream of chicken. Repeat.  Its enough to make one 9x13 + one 8x8 pan.

Once everything is layered, throw it in the oven for 25-30 minutes. Let cool and top with chow mein noodles. Blake isn't the biggest fan of the noodles so I always leave some without them.

And that's it! enjoy! ps... this stuff is great as leftover! mmmm..

Love,
Mrs. T

On a cold winter morning.

guess what we did this morning? we had a riot.
i worked last night from 10:00 to this morning at 7:30 + then caught a few hours of zzz’s before i had to get breakfast going. my mom just got home from Peru so navy spent the night with her. this morning was good, work, waffles, snuggles + then Sawyer wanted some milk. so out came the mickey sippy, only this time Sawyer did NOT want the lid on it. we argued back + forth + even though I had spent the past two days + countless hours cleaning my carpets i caved + settle for a straw. hell hath no fury like a toddler who doesn’t get his way. literally minutes after I walked away I heard, “oops, i sorry mommy.” I turned around + a whole glass of milk all over my fresh carpets. i instantly shot up, wiped some tears, grabbed the carpet cleaner and started to wipe up the mess. last night, after cleaning the carpet i was running late to work and left the cleaner as is + this morning i remembered i didn’t dump the dirty water out so i pulled the bucket out, ran to the kitchen + the bottom of the container snapped out + TWO gallons of filthy water spilled all over my carpet, arrow and my kitchen floor. + on top of all of that after hearing the crash + a few choice words, sawyer  came sprinting into the kitchen, slipped, + fell in the filthy water.
So let’s recap,  laboriously clean carpet, lidless sippy, spilled milk, spilled dirty water, filthy puppy + infant, + a new bag of dog food, drowned in the mess + a broken carpet cleaner.
Then there is me. Just a wreck.
First, i called blake, because i needed a hug.
Second, i called my mom to see if she could keep navy.
Third, i collected + convinced myself the world hadn’t come to a stop, + got to work.
i couldn’t afford to have dirty puppies running around so, we killed two birds with stone and they took a bath together!
And guess what else, i fixed the carpet cleaner + got everything cleaned up!
Today was a riot. But, we survived.
Xoxo,
Mrs. T

i'm blogging again?

Thanksgiving 2015

Oh hey there! its just me. nothing too exciting. giving this whole blogging thing a go, again. wish me luck!

i’m sitting here wondering why i even made the switch, when lets be honest, i don’t really blog. not because i dont want to but mainly because i really don’t have the time (or so i keep telling myself). because in all seriousness over here, the only extra time i have laying around is already pre-reserved for sleep. i really do enjoy blogging, i wish i had a bit more to blog about but most of our adventures fall within our front doors.
with that being said i’m thinking about picking up the whole blog again just so i can have a place to categorize and organize the many pictures i take on the daily. that, and sawyer is too hilarious not to share.
so lets get this boat floatin! as of late life has been quite the rollercoaster. i’m talking some pretty serious highs and lows over here. i feel like our last months adventure should be bullet pointed. here goes…

• blake got a new job! he was feeling a bit restless at his current job + not really thinking much of it, he applied for a new one + within 3 days he had received a offer! So we talked and weighed our options + we felt like it was a yes + he put in his 2 weeks.
• his new job required that we live on site, like his current one + we only had 30 days from when he put his notice in to move out of our apartment so we sold A LOT of our furniture + packed up our house.
• and our new home had WOOD floors, allowed pets and had easy access to the outside so we bought a puppy. (which we had full intentions on getting around Christmas but due to some complications we brought her home early.)
• after his two weeks ended, blake started his first day + we discovered the true meaning of “the Lord works in mysterious ways” + we ended up not taking that leap!
• so we spent the last two weeks unpacking, blake has come home from work grinning from ear to ear, grateful for picking the job that he loves. + i’m over here on the kitchen floor with a pup in my lap, watching two diapered babies stumble around thankful for a no longer restless hubby, a unexpected decluttered house + a list of furniture I get to excitedly go and pick out for our freshly turned unit! (i’m looking forward to a new couch!)

needless to say, it was a crazy month! we made some big decisions and even though we ended up in the same spot as we left off, we grew pretty close to one another, we leaned and counted on each other throughout the whole process, we made big steps together + everything about it has just felt right. i love that man.
in other news, arrow puppy is finally figuring out the whole potty training thing, you think i would be in over my head with the TWO diapered babies we already have but what can i say? i’m a glutton for punishment!
blake + i have decided that Christmas he would be in charge of Sawyers gifts + I would get Navy’s. blake loves Christmas so much he started shopping for Sawyer in September. i’m over here still wondering what clothes I’m going to put on navy for the day. the gifting has overwhelmed me. i mean, what do you get a one year old? beats me. i’m thinking i’ll just drown her in baby dolls.
but folks, my shift has ended + my bed is calling to me with those luscious feathers. just waiting. i promise i’ll try to write again soon, but that’s all i can give ya

Xoxo,
Mrs. T

Feeling Him

As I sit here in bed at 4:11 in the morning, blurry eyes and foggy brain I can't help but look back on the last few months with a serious sense of gratitude... And helplessness.

I've never been the kind to go out of my way to have a relationship with my Savior. I always knew that he was "there" but never felt like I truly needed him. 

Until now. 

Now as I lay here wearing the same clothes I have for the past three days, covered in Navy's food and Sawyers throw up and what I believe is chocolate from yesterday's cake making session, (or is that poop?) I realize, I truly need my Savior, my Lord. 

I find myself sending up little prayers all throughout the day, every.day.

"Thank you that Sawyer still has his happy spirit about him even though he was up all night tossing his cookies."

"Please, take these body aches away JUST for while I make this cake, whose deadline is far to close"

"Thank you, for taking away those aches"

"Thank you, for helping Navy take an extra 30 minutes in her nap so I could read this book that Sawyers been handing me all day"

"How's my Mom doing?"

"Please, help me not stress about the load of laundry I forgot to take out of the wash that now stinks and needs to be re-washed"

"How's Blake doing at work?"

"Thank you for calming waters when I feel like an inadequate Mom, because you know I'm doing things right."

Etc. etc.

I know for a fact I've been sending up at LEAST a hundred prayers a day, and you know what... It's making a difference.

I can see it make a difference in not only my life but in my children's lives as well. Because not only do I need him daily, but they do too.

And they NEED me to NEED him.

Tonight I couldn't help but be thankful for those calming words that I hear in the back of my mind that tell me I'm doing alright. Because, I know I'm not the worlds "best" Mom, I'm not even the worlds most "decent" mom. My entire house has NEVER been completely clean for a day, my dinners are faaaarrr from sub par, my looks are well... Let's just say homely, for lack of a better word, most days, my kids spend most days naked, and bills get paid rrriiigghhtt before deadlines, etc. But I know I'm just enough. I have just enough of the right stuff to keep my kids alive to see another day. I have just enough of the right stuff to show them what is right and what is wrong. I have just enough of the right stuff to love my family unconditionally. And, I have just enough of the right stuff to be thankful for all the "just enoughs" about me. And without those calming words my "just enoughs" would feel more like, "not enoughs".

Tonight, I am so grateful. I'm grateful that I am now starting to figure out what it's like to have that constant companion and not years down the road. 

I'm grateful to always have that "friend" that doesn't mind listening to my ramblings of my days, my wants and needs for my family and myself.

I'm grateful to start working on this relationship to show my Savior how truly thankful I am for the beautiful blessings in my life and work to deserve it! My handsome man, my healthy kids, my amazing family, and a cozy home. 

I'm grateful to just have him, because sometimes, in the middle of the night, when my newborn looks into my eyes and gives me the most heartfelt smile or my little toddler wakes up and crawls into bed with me for that late night snuggle lovin' or my husband wakes up just to remove the mounds of pillows I was too tired to move and just crashed on top of, i know my Lord is the reason why my life feels just so... Right.

So now at 4 in the morning while my heart is full of gratitude, I'm grateful for that sense of helplessness that has helped me lean on my Savior more times than once on a daily basis, because without him, I am truly nothing and those "just enoughs" would be more like "not enoughs".

Just a Little Crafting

I'm a sucker for rugs. What I'm not a sucker for, their price.

Why do rugs have to cost so much? Even little runner rugs, um hello... Fifty dollars?

No thanks. It's not like we don't have the money but I don't want to shell out that kind of cash for a floor decoration. And, we don't have the money ;) 

So after making Sawyers teepee we had quite a bit of drop cloth left. 

I instantly thought, "rug!" And after searching the World Wide Web, I realized I wasn't the only one! 

It was great having a tutorial, no matter how easy the project may be.

Let me just tell you this right now.... I was not disappointed with the finished project! 

And I actually took pictures along the way! (Because there was a lot of disappointment when I didn't while making the teepee.)

So, Here we go! A quick and easy DIY drop cloth rug.

First I measured out the area and cut my drop cloth, it was a really rough measurement and even rougher cut lol then I ironed.

Next I serged the edges. I was originally going to serge and iron down the edges and sew a top stitch but with a little one super interested in my sewing machine and Blake out playing basketball I just serged it. (And I am so glad I did!) 

Next I taped my fabric. First I was going to do 5 inch painted stripes with 4 inches in between but I wanted there to be a bigger difference so I did a 3 inch gap between the paint stripes. (Again, so glad.) It also wasn't as hard as I thought it would be with Sawyer. He just 'swept' the kitchen/rug almost the whole time I taped. That's why he photobombed half of the pictures.

Like I said it was a super rough cut so the end was pretty lopsided. No worries! After I painted I cut off the reminding fabric parallel to the last painted stripe. 

Next, I flipped a black garbage bag inside out and taped it to the counter top (for bleed through purpose). I flipped inside out so when I was done I could flip it the right way and still use it without getting paint everywhere. Once my workspace was ready, I got some tea, a granola bar, some music, and started painting! 

P.s. The rubber band around the paint can trick realllllyyy works! For the color I went with a more universal one, gray, or Behrs Antique Tin. That way I can place the rug anywhere and it still works. I purchased two of the 7 oz sample jars for $3 and two of HDs cheapo paintbrushes. I ended up only using one jar and one brush, so now I can make another one! 

Keep painting until it's done and let it dry.

After ten minutes I took it off the counter and laid it on the floor to dry with minimum wrinkles.

Because I did mine so close to bedtime my impatient soul didn't have to pace and wait for it to dry, I just went to bed :)

The next morning I ran down stairs and marveled at my work! It was beautiful but, not perfect.

I quickly cut of the uneven part and the top, went back to my serger and re-serged the WHOLE thing, took less than 5 minutes. I did that only because I love the way the white thread looks on the gray painted area. Because serging over the already serged, it ruffled the edges making it more beachy feeling, which I adore.

Because, I do have a little one that likes to romp around in the kitchen I went out to big lots and purchased a liner. It is originally shelf lining but it works great under the rug and for $2 you just can't pass stuff like that up! 

I cant decided if I want to go in and sand a few painted to spots to give it a more wear and tear look or leave it crisp. But for now I'm going to throw it in the wash to soften up the fabric where the paint is, re-iron and enjoy!

The whole project from start to finish (minus drying time) only took me a few hours. All conjured up while Blake was out playing his weekly basketball game with my family. It was seriously level::easy! I'm totally in love with the finished project and for $6 for cost of paint, brush and liner and left over fabric, I'll take it! Seriously loves, if you need a simple rug, this DIY is perfect, and even more perfect with little kiddos, I mean... WASHABLE!! If you do make one and have questions, feel free to ask. You won't regret it ;)

Xoxo: Mrs. T

Another quick DIY? Pots and pans taking up to much space in your cupboards and you have left over space on top of your pantry?

Hang them! 

All you need is a current rod some S shaped shower hooks and for weight issues a set of plastic pole sockets. That little package is only $1.50 at HD. It's worth getting, my first time around I didn't have them and in the middle of the night the whole rod, pots and all, collapsed. Making a huge boom and I almost wet the bed thinking we were being robbed haha. Just get them.

I stole my hooks from our shower curtain, it's looked like this for a month now, don't worry though, I just bought new hooks for my shower 

The lids you ask? Easy, a drying rack from the dollar store. 

Happy weekend loves!