I had a fantastic 29th birthday - definitely a great way to kick off my last year in my 20's - goodness, that's not fun to type!!! My celebration officially started Friday when Daniel had the day off. I went to the gym that morning and worked my legs, abs, and did the stair climber. It was a good workout and a great way to begin the day. I let Daniel sleep in until 9ish because he had been working on his truck most of the week and he was up until 7am, yes alllllll night long, Wednesday night. I figured I'd be a nice wife and let him catch up on some much needed snooze time. Plus, he wasn't feeling all that great. Probably due to the lack of sleep during the week. After lunch we went to the Arlington park and after we'd been there less than 5 minutes we were approached by several different people who informed us that there were two prison escapees just down the road. UMMMM, OK - so we promptly left!!! We decided to head to Shelby Farms and just hang out. The weather was gorgeous and we wanted to be outside! Once we got there we realized we weren't exactly in the best walking shoes so we decided to rent a paddle boat! What fun that was - the kids LOVED it and so did D and I. We were on the water an hour and enjoyed every minute! I love spending time doing fun activities with my family.
boat time!!!
the girls were chillin'
how cute are they??
Next on my birthday agenda was to get my very first tattoo!!! Yes, I did!!! I have been wanting one for so long but just couldn't decide what to get and where. Plus, I always worried what everyone would think. I finally decided that I can't worry about what others think - so, I went for it! I searched and searched for the perfect design. I knew I wanted something small and I wanted it to mean something special to me. After hours of looking around I decided to go with a Chinese symbol. I always wanted to incorporate my kids names in the tattoo somehow but wasn't sure how to do it. The symbol I got means "mom". I got it on my right wrist and it's black. I couldn't be happier with how it turned out. I went to Trilogy here in town and they were great. I was super nervous and they made me feel so comfortable and at ease. Getting the tattoo was about a 15 minute process and when I say process, I mean painful process!!! The tattoo artist said it wouldn't hurt too badly but just be an annoying feeling. Well, I highly disagree - it was painful! But, again, so worth it in the end!!! I may even do it again one day =) Here are some pics!!!
my new addition!
isn't it cute??!!
I am sporting my new workout clothes from Target! love that store!!!
Saturday, my actual birthday, was amazing!!! D and I slept in until 10:30!!! We ate lunch at Mellow Mushroom - my favorite pizza joint EVER! We did a little shopping and hanging out outside. The weather couldn't have been more perfect! It was in the high 60s and sunny. Seriously perfect weather. I really wanted to run on my day, so we ran home and changed clothes. I was going to be running outside and have been wanting to get a water bottle that I could take while running. I found one at Dick's that goes around my waist like a belt. It even has a little zipper area for my key and whatever else I may need on my run. So, I filled the water bottle up and wiped it down with a baby wipe (can you blame me...I mean I didn't go home and I had no other way to wash it) - Daniel made fun of me =) I'm a bit of a germ - a - phoebe! I decided that I wanted to run at Shelby farms and run the 5k trail. It is a bit hilly and challenging, but it was one of the best runs I've ever had! I don't know if it was the amazing weather or just the fact that it was my special day. It was amazing! I ran it in a little under 30 minutes!
my run!
I had a fantastic 29th birthday - looking forward to the big 30 next year!!!
I have a recipe for y'all that I got from my hubby. His family would eat this meal fairly often. It's super easy and delicious.
We call it - MEAT PIE -
Here's how it's done -
Ingredients:
* 1 pound ground beef
* A1
* Worchestire sauce
* salt/pepper
* garlic powder
* onion powder
* about 6 potatoes
* cream cheese
* milk or heavy cream
* butter
Directions:
Take your ground beef and place it in an 8 1/2 x 11 baking dish. Add a good splash of A1 and worchestire. Also add 1-2 tsp. of garlic powder and onion powder. Mix well with your hands. Add salt and pepper (again, I don't measure - I'm so sorry - I really will try better!!!) I would say a dash of salt and also a dash of pepper. You can always add more once it's on your plate. Pop that in a 350 degree oven for 20ish minutes. Just watch it and when the meat is cooked through, pull it out. I usually don't drain all the grease off the meat after it's baked. It dries out if you do. I may drain a little bit if it's overwhelmingly greasy, so just use your better judgement on this one. Meanwhile, begin your mashed potatoes. Peel and dice your potatoes. Add to boiling water and cook until fork easily slides through. Drain potatoes and add about 1/2 a stick of butter. Also add 1/4 block of cream cheese and your milk or cream to the desired consistency. Add a dash of salt and pepper. Once potatoes and meat are done, spoon potatoes on top of meat. Spread evenly and bake for another 10 minutes or until bubbly. Serve with a veggie of your choice or salad! It's yummie!!!
Sorry, I don't have pics for this one.
Now, for my delicious homemade......
Crock pot Spaghetti
For years I used Prego and ground beef for my sauce. Nothing is wrong with Prego, in fact it's very good. I just wanted something a little different and I also wanted a challenge. I made this recipe for the first time several years ago and have been perfecting it since. It is amazing and easy!
Ingredients:
* One 14oz can Hunt's tomato sauce
* 2 14oz can Hunt's diced tomatoes- I get the one with the Italian seasonings (garlic, oregano, and basil)
* One 29oz can crushed tomatoes
* One pound ground beef
* garlic, diced
* dried Oregano- 2 tablespoons
* dried Basil- 2 tablespoons *Y'all know by now I don't measure, but I know this is close.
* dried Parsley- 2 tablespoons *Start out with less if you would like & add more later to taste.
* spaghetti noodles
Directions:
Begin by mincing your garlic and adding a tablespoon of EVOO to a pan. Sautee'. Once garlic is done, remove from pan (so it won't burn...brown garlic is bitter). Add ground beef to the same pan you cooked your garlic in. Once beef is cooked through, drain grease and add meat to the crock pot. Add all 4 cans of tomatoes to the beef and mix well. Also add dried basil, oregano, and parsley. Salt and pepper to taste. Let this simmer on low heat for several hours. Taste and if you need to add more spices, I recommend adding basil first. Cook noodles of your choice by package directions minus a minute or so. Drain pasta and add to crock pot. Let sit on low for about 20 minutes. Serve with Parmesan cheese, salad and your favorite bread!
Enjoy!!!
Y'all gotta try this delicious Spaghetti!!!
I love the black and white picture of you!! Too cute!
ReplyDeleteThanks, girlie! My sis took it with her cool iphone =)) ha!
ReplyDelete