Wednesday Pick Me Up

I knew there was a reason I took a mental break from work this morning to check my blog updates! That's how I discovered that I've been tagged by Heather at Heather Drive!! This is a fun one that has already brightened my day just thinking of all the things that make me happy.

The Rules:
- List 10 things that make you happy
- Tag 10 other bloggers and link back to the person who tagged you

Ten Things That Make Me Happy:

1. Saturday mornings with Mr. Tote one one side, Ozzy between us and Athena on the other side, trying desperately to get close enough to suck on my ear. Silly kitteh.
 
2. A perfectly seasoned, perfectly medium-rare filet mignon.
 
3. Giving friends and family homemade gifts.
 
4. Looking at silver jewelry from a beach vendor with my best friend in our lounge chairs on a beach in the Riviera Maya. (enough prepositions in that one??)
 
5. Christmas decorations. Lights, ornaments, nativities, garland, I love it all!
 
6. Spending time with our families.
 
7. Walking in my backyard, looking at all of the beautiful flowers in my garden. Hurry, SPRING!!!!!
 
8. Weekend trips up north. So impromptu, so rewarding.
 
9. FISHING! I love fishing!
 
10. The soundtrack to Wicked. "... we're gonna make you POP-U-LAR"
 
Now, onto the tagging!!
 
1.Lynsey at The Foster Following
2. Renee at A Taste of Life
3. Brittany at Superwoman
4. Megan at 1 Funky Woman
5. Elly at Elly Says Opa
6. Mary Ellen at Mary Ellen's Cooking Creations
7. Roeshel at The DIY Show Off
8. Molly at You're Talking Jibberish
9. Kimi at The Millers
10. Linda at Craftaholics Anonymous
 
Have a wonderful Wednesday, all!

Crockpot Turkey Chili

1 lb. ground turkey

1 small onion, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
1 small can tomato paste
2 Tbsp chili powder
1 Tbsp cumin
1 can red kidney beans with liquid
1 28 oz. can peeled whole tomatoes with juice
1 C frozen corn

Start by browning the turkey with the onion in a large saucepan.

Meanwhile, dump the whole tomatoes with juice into a blender and blend until most of the chunks are removed.

Now, here’s the tough part… Dump everything into the Crock Pot. Be sure to incorporate the tomato paste into the rest of the ingredients.
Cook on low for 6 hours.

Creamy Chicken with Walnuts and Artichokes

1/4 C walnut pieces
2 small boneless skinless chicken breasts or 1 large one
1/2 can artichoke hearts, drained
Handful of sliced button mushrooms
2 tsp hazelnut oil (olive oil will work just fine, too!)
1 C low fat cottage cheese
Angel hair pasta

Start by roasting the walnut pieces in a large saucepan on medium heat for 5 to 7 minutes, tossing occasionally.

Also, bring a pot of salted water to boil for your pasta.

Meanwhile, cube the chicken breast. When the walnut pieces are toasted, remove them from the pan and add the oil. When the oil is hot, add the chicken.

Add your pasta to the boiling pot of water and cook for 5 minutes or until done.

Sautee the chicken for 4 to 5 minutes before adding in the mushroom pieces and artichoke hearts. Continue to sautee until the chicken is cooked through (3 to 4 minutes).

Drain your pasta and add it to the saucepan with the chicken mixture. Add the cottage cheese and toss to coat. Serve immediately :-)

Fleece Scarf Tutorial

I made 14 of these before Christmas, but couldn't post for obvious reasons (*ahem MOM, AUNTIE MEG*). So I'm finally getting around to posting my tutorial and finished product. Everything I had seen on these screamed "MAKE ME! I'M EASY!" How could I resist? Little did I know how time consuming they would be. It took quite some time to cut all of the fleece, line it all up, sew it all and cut the fringe. One or two would have been easy, but 14? I just loved so many of the fleece colors, I couldn't choose just one. And since I feel bad asking the girl at the cutting counter for a small strip of each piece, I opted for larger pieces of the colored fleece that made two scarves out of each cut.

Shall we begin? Start by cutting your fleece into 6" strips by the length of the fleece.

Unfold your fleece strips to get the full length and lay your different colors on top of each other. I used three different colors (grey, white and and accent color). Pin the pieces together to hold them in the right place.

Preferably using a sewing machine, sew a straight stitch directly down the center of the fleece.

Remove your pins and lay the strip on a flat surface. Using fabric shears, cut 1" strips perpendicular to the stitched line, being very careful not to cut through the stitch.

A few months ago, I had my online buddy LJ design a custom tag for me that I had made into sewable tags via Etsy seller, Purple Hug. So I sewed these onto the end of one of the strips.

There you have it! Fourteen beautiful, easy, warm fleece scarves! Those that I didn't give as Christmas gifts, I am donating to our church to use for their Shared Pregnancy coat drive.

Feelin' the Love and Showin' the Love!

A big thank you to the eight lovely ladies who left heartfelt comments after I was moping around from my last giveaway. As a way of thanking all of you, I'm giving away two wire-wrapped flattened wine bottles. The bottles are shown below. I haven't wrapped them yet, so I can get some feedback from the winners for bead and wire color choices.

So, using random.org, I've found two wonderful winners. Here we go!

 

Renee said...

I always read posts through reader too and sometimes I forget to go back and comment but I'm here and I read all of your posts!

HoneyB said...

Oh sweetie :( I'm sorry I missed your giveaway. I would have certainly entered. I just got my laptop back and today is my first day that I even had much time to be on! I would have loved one of your prints!! Lucky two who did comment and win!

So Renee and Shelby, CONGRATS! Email me at brophyka (@) msu (.) edu and we'll get started! Thanks to all of you for lifting my spirits. You really made my day.