Recipe Review: Fried Pork Chops

I have some things going on that have left me in a non-bloggy mood recently, but I did want to share this quick recipe review with you. 

In celebration of these beautiful 70-degree days we've been having lately, we were going to grill pork chops tonight. Well a huge line of ugly storms blew through for a few hours cancelling those plans. Instead, I decided to forfeit my house over to the smells of hot grease mixed with flour and fry them (hello calories, you are delicious!). I used this Paula Deen Recipe and it was absolutely amazing! I let them sit in the buttermilk for a while and I think that really helped. So yummy!!

I didn't take any pictures, but they looked quite similar to these.

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And now I'm off to burn every candle in my house hoping the smell will dissipate soon...

Project 365: Week 8

Project 365: Week 7

Project 365: Week 6

Tuesdays...

I officially love Tuesdays. Our current schedule has us busy every morning of the week. Except Tuesday. Glorious Tuesdays! We make pancakes/waffles, stay in our PJs all day, pull out every toy, puzzle, and crayon and probably watch a little too much TV snuggled up on the couch together. 

I'm trying to treasure this time with my Little Man because I know these days are fleeting. Our days are becoming more subject to a schedule of activities (that we enjoy!) and within a few short years he'll be in school full time. But for now, it's just nice to sit back and really enjoy our time together. After all, that is one of the main reasons I chose to stay home.

Project 365: Week 5

Our Valentine Celebrations

I'm not really one to go over the top with Valentine's Day celebrations. My hubby and I rarely celebrate the day with gifts, just not our style. Actually, one of my favorite V-day presents he ever gave me was a brand new pair of red Williams-Sonoma oven mitts, something I desperately needed at the time and have used almost everyday since then. Not very romantic, but something I loved! This year we're celebrating with our new appliances (whenever they are delivered).

Anyway, we are celebrating a bit more than usual this year since Little Man is in preschool. His class is having a little party and he is bringing Valentines based on an idea I found (& copied). It's just perfect consider Little Man's love of cars!

We also made hot pink Rice Krispie treats this past week for our Friday playgroup (affectionately called "Brunch Bunch" since the mommies sit around gabbing and eating brunch while the kids play). We had so much fun making them, but he's not the least bit interested in eating them. Oh well!

Just added some red food coloring to the marshmallows and voila! That hot pink melted marshmallow was a sight! 

Finally, I am making Oreo Truffles after falling in love with them this week. My best friend & her daughter included them in a goody bag for Little Man. It was almost a race to see who could eat them faster - he's definitely inherited my love for chocolate! I'm planning to make two batches - one traditional and one made with Mint Oreos. 

They are supposed to be for J's preschool teacher and I'm hoping to have enough left over (after we devour them) to share with our family and hubby's coworkers. We'll see....

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!!

Kitchen Dreams Coming True

Not blogging much lately because we have a new project going on. One that has required a lot of my attention and I'm SUPER excited about it! Remember in my Home Decor Goals post how I mentioned I wanted to update our old, ripped linoleum as well as replace our counter tops and appliances (in my dreams...). Well, my dreams are coming true! 

Goodbye ripped linoleum!

Last week I had wood floor and granite contractors in and out giving us estimates. Now, we've chosen our contractors, ordered our new appliances, and are in the waiting stages. If all goes as planned (which is doubtful in construction), then our appliances should be delivered in the next few weeks, then our granite will be installed by the end of the month, and finally we'll extend our hardwoods into the kitchen and refinish the rest of the wood. I'm so excited! Here's a glimpse of what's to come...

Appliances

We went with the Whirlpool Gold line after reading the reviews on Consumer Reports and checking out similar product price ranges. Ended up getting some pretty great deals thanks to a combination of Lowe's price matching, my Father-in-Law's 10% military discount, and a $400 cash rebate by the manufacturer.

Granite Counter Tops

Ironically, it is the EXACT same as what my parents chose in their  kitchen reno a few years ago. We didn't realize that until I took the sample this weekend and laughed hysterically when it was an exact match to their counters! (small square sample is what we chose)

I don't want anyone to think we're suddenly rich or going into a lot of debt for this. Neither is true. My 95-year old grandfather passed away this past fall. He was so well loved by our entire family and he lived such a rich life. He was such a blessing to us and his legacy continues to be, even though he's no longer here with us. He was so sweet and left all of the grandchildren some inheritance. Most of it is investments which we've reallocated to better suit our needs, but there was a smaller cash portion that we're using to fund most of this reno. What a great gift he's giving us! I know he would be really happy with what we've chosen to do with his generous gift to us.

I cannot WAIT for it to all be done! It's seriously going to feel like a brand new house to me (probably b/c I spend SO much time in the kitchen!). You can bet that I'll be posting "before" & "after" pictures. 

Project 365: Week 4

SSMT #3

Forgot to post this on the 1st - oops! Always a good verse to keep in mind...

The Hunger Games

I just finished The Hunger Games series and cannot say enough about it (I talked about them over on my 101 Blog, so if you read that this is a bit of a recap). I loved these books! They were fast paced, had great characters, and I just loved the story. I stayed up late into the night reading these because so many chapters ended on cliffhangers and I just couldn't stop! If you're looking for a fun & interesting read, I'd highly recommend them.

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