GIRLS JUST WANNA HAVE FUH-UNNN!!

WOW! Seems like it has been a CENTURY since I last posted something. Do not worry, I have been reading everyone else's blogs... I have just felt a bit down lately and didn't want to VENT it out on here to you guys. Good news is that I am GREAT now, and I only ask that you keep me in your prayers as I try to remain GREAT! To sum it all up, I have recently went through a MAJOR LIFE CHANGE. I am so glad that my wonderful husband and family have been here through it all with me.

Now, on with the blogging....

TGIF!!!! This Friday is even more exciting (yet teasing) because this time next week THIS GIRL and her BEST FRIEND will be heading to Chattanooga, TN to celebrate my big sister's BIG 3-0!! YAY!! Here is my LOVELY SISTER..(yes, I know.. she does not look like an OLD LADY... that is because she is still just as alive and exciting as she was when she was my age!)

Even though she is an Alabama fan, I still LOVE HER THE SAME!

I am so excited that our little ones will get to see each other and have some time to kill each other bond! Laney (Nicole's oldest, 8), Addy Bree (Nicole's youngest, almost 3), Kylie (Reva's, 3), and McKinlee (Mine, 2 1/2) are going to have a BLAST!!!! I will have to remember to take plenty of pictures of our exciting weekend and put them up for you to see!

Hope everyone has a WONDERFUL weekend! God Bless, everyone!

When a Diamond Turns Into Coal

Friends.

 They are like DIAMONDS... Precious and Rare. And, they're forever, right? So we should do everything possible to keep all the friendships we have, right?

If we all remain exactly as we always have been without change, we could probably maintain many lifelong friendships. BUT we all change in different ways and at different rates.

"The only constant is CHANGE." -Heraclitus

Sadly enough, there are friendships we may want or need to let go of.. As difficult as it may be to accept sometimes, it is the normal evolution of things. Ending a relationship in which you have invested time, energy and, most importantly, heart, is not easy.

But, do you keep a friendship that is unhealthy? By keeping friends who no longer make you happy, or who hold you back, you are risking your own happiness and well-being. Not only that, but YOU CAN"T POSSIBLY CREATE ROOM FOR A NEW FRIENDSHIP THAT CAN GROW INTO SOMETHING NURTURING AND REWARDING FOR YOU.

         

If your friend steals your spouse or anything else blatantly hurtful, then things are clear. GET RID OF THEM! Attempts to hurt are easy to see and acknowledge. But most of the time, signals aren't that obvious (thankfully!). We are always trying to make excuses because, naturally, we really do not want to hurt anyone's feelings (hopefully!). When things go wrong or we're hurt, we say to ourselves, "she didn't do it on purpose," ''she's just that way," or, "she's just been really stressed out lately" (even if '"lately" is over the past several weeks. months, or even YEARS). BUT WE ARE BLINDING OURSELVES TO THE FACT THAT WHAT WE HAVE IS UNHEALTHY!

There are several ways to acknowledge that a friendship is not worth fighting for any longer:

1) Ask yourself if you feel better after seeing/talking to that person. Do you feel inspired or motivated, or do you feel like you have been drained of all of your energy? Your energy and spirit are RIGHTFULLY YOURS! You should never allow someone to take it away from you. Do you feel better, or do you feel angry, disappointed, or fed up? Granted, everyone goes through "bummer" periods in life. Part of being a friend means sticking with friends through tough times, but if you always feel "sucked dry" when seeing this friend then things are not healthy. You deserve more power in your life to put the use of your energy and motivation towards more constructive things.

2) Also, ask yourself if this person brings out the best in you. When you leave from being with them, do you feel proud of something? Or, do you feel like you are a bad person; that something is not quite right? Take for instance, you may have lunch with this person and the entire time you two are constantly griping and gossiping about other people, friends, family---WHATEVER! Okay, none of us is perfect. Who doesn't participate in a "gossip session" once in a while? Even though it is something you do not take pride in doing, it happens. But when you take a step back and realize that you just spent all of your time griping and being rude/hurtful to others...what do you have? If you can step back and say to yourself, "I do not like what I just did, and I do not like the person I was being during that lunch," then things have went too far. You should never put on a mask and participate in something that is not what you want to be just to satisfy another persons "gossip craving".

3) After being with this person do you feel careless or cheerless? People who always spend time criticizing others are CHEERLESS! Their cheerlessness is CONTAGIOUS... and you will SURELY catch it! Most of the time, these people are not capable of finding the best in themselves, AND THEY ARE CERTAINLY NOT INTERESTED IN FINDING THE BEST IN YOU!

4) Have you ever asked yourself is this friend is a positive influence on your life? Do they encourage you to grow and support what you love and want out of life (even if it differs from what they feel)? For example, do you feel like you have to compromise your values or morals just to hang around or talk to this friend? OR, does your friend make her problems YOUR PROBLEMS, or does her bad mood become YOUR BAD MOOD? If you are like me, you may have just settled down and got married, made a new family, got out on your own, etc. and that friend found someway to make ALL OF THAT GOOD NEWS negative to you! Friends are supposed to CHEER YOU UP, not BRING YOU DOWN!

5) And the opposite to all of the four above is HOW DO YOU FEEL WHEN YOU HAVEN'T BEEN IN TOUCH IN A FEW DAYS OR WEEKS? Do you feel guilty that you haven't taken the time out of your "busy" day to text/call her? Do you feel relief that your life is flowing smoothly in those past few days/weeks? Are you looking forward to catching up with her the next time you do? Never stay committed to s relationship unless it is WHAT YOU WANT! It really STINKS when things end, but like I said...it is the evolution of life. Things always change.

Like I said in the beginning (for those of you still reading), we cling to our friendships because we feel like they are precious and rare. But when a diamond turns to coal, it's the time to let it go and move on!

Know that it's not really important whether someone makes you feel invisible, joyless, bullied, guilty, sucked of energy, or stupid. What is important is that this person makes you feel bad. That reason, and that reason alone, is enough to think about ending it.

I hope everyone was able to hold on during my ranting session today. I have personally been evaluating some relationships in my life, and I would like to ask for your prayers during this time of difficult decision-making for me. Life is tough sometimes, but I have to always remember to put my God, my husband, and my daughter at the top of my list in life. Thank you for reading today, lovelies! I promise to get you a recipe on the next post! LOVE YOU ALL!

Tough to Chew...

Friends, I had to hurry as quickly as I could to post about this subject once I read something that SERIOUSLY disturbed me in a VERY emotional way just about three minutes ago. Why do people JUDGE what others do with their lives? Let me just give a quick run through of what I just read, and I will not use "word-for-word" quotes or even tell you where I read this because I do not want to upset who wrote this BECAUSE THEY HAVE THEIR OWN OPINION ON THINGS! Here we go:

This writer argued that she is more-or-less a better person than others because she took birth control and CONTROLLED HER OWN outcome of whether or not she had children through high school, college, settling down, etc. Who controlled it? According to this writer, SHE DID! She also stated that the reason her life is SO MUCH BETTER than others is because she went through college without children and got a good job after graduating (and in no way am I saying that those plans are not good plans, but I am saying that those plans are really not HER PLANS!). She lastly argued that her children will have a much better life because they will be able to afford things like vacations and nice clothes, etc. WHAT????? OOHH, how I try not to just comment and tell her off at this point! I was successful. I bit my tongue and said a small prayer to God.

"God please help me get through this anger and aid me to not pass judgement on others. You are the Judge, the Jury, and the Answer to it all. Amen".

I have a few points to offer those of you still reading...

1) It is not the right thing to do to argue that you (or anyone) is a better person than another. What you have/do does not reflect on what others have/do or do not have/do. I grew up materialistically poor and without things I wanted. There were times when my friends would all go to the beach during the summer, and I can remember wishing that I could be in their family because my life would be so much easier. I WAS WRONG! I had one thing that most of those people I envied didn't... I had the love of a WONDERFUL mother and sister and family! I never even stepped foot on a beach until I was 7 months pregnant with McKinlee (I was 20 years old). I am getting side-tracked on this point. LOL!

2) Who controls the outcome of YOUR life? Is "your" even the correct word to use in this instance, I am not sure? God controls it ALL! If God wants you to conceive a child, he will give that child to you. He is more powerful than any type of science (birth control methods)...and He is CERTAINLY more powerful than YOU! It rubs me the wrong way when I hear people say that they have control of what they are doing with their life. The only time you really have COMPLETE control of YOUR life is when you lay your life at GOD'S FEET and let him take the reins!

3) Another problem I had while reading this writing was that the writer believed that her children were going to have a much better life because her and her husband make really good money. WOW! This one really hit home with me the most and made me want to go through the computer screen and rip the text into tiny shreds! LOL! My husband and I have been searching for a job for him for almost 3 years now. Not everyone who graduates college with a degree can go out and find a job right off of the bat, especially in these times. He is proof. So, this writer is going to basically tell me that since my husband and I do not make enough money in a year to send our children to the BEST OF THE BETS private schools, take annual vacations, buy designer clothing (that they grow out of in a month, mind you - LOL!), and eat the fanciest restaurants every night that we will not provide a great upbringing to our children?!?! My child will know that she is loved by her parents, her siblings, her family, and most importantly HER GOD! If we are able to put back some money for a vacation, then she will get that experience. If not, then she will be just fine too. The problem with everyone nowadays is that everything always has to be BIGGER and BETTER than your neighbors. Why? Why can't what you have be the best it can be? My husband's lack of "luck" finding a job in his field is not the most ideal way people would consider our life to be, but it is in God's plan. We have to trust in Him to provide for us. I would rather my husband work for his daddy for the rest of his life and do it proudly and to the best of his ability than to ever find a job where his salary compromises his Faith and Belief in Him. I am so blessed to have the family and friends who are always there for me when times get tough. I have met some amazing people who inspire me daily to give more to my Lord.

THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH YOUR LIFE IF YOU LET GOD TAKE CONTROL!

Simply put, get over it and let God take care of your problems.... afterall, He is always the ANSWER!

Thanks for listening to my RANT! Here's a recipe for today:

 Smothered Steak and Veggies

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds round steak
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 green bell pepper
• 1 (29 ounce) can diced tomatoes
• 4 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1 cube beef bouillon cube
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 2 cups water 
• 1 cup white rice
• 2 cups water

Directions

1. Trim any fat from round steak and slice meat into thin 2 to 3 inch long strips. Remove the seeds and core from the green bell pepper, and slice into thin 3 inch long strips.
2. In a large frying pan over medium to high heat add oil and cook meat until medium rare, add peppers and continue cooking until meat is browned.
3. Reduce heat to simmer and add tomatoes, soy sauce, garlic powder, black pepper and ginger. Cover and simmer 10 minutes.
4. Dissolve bullion cube and corn starch in 2 cups water and stir well before adding to simmering beef. Cover and simmer 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until sauce resembles the consistency of gravy. Remove from heat and serve over a bed of rice.
5. To cook rice: In a saucepan, bring 2 cups of water to a boil. Stir in 1 cup of rice. Cover and reduce heat to a simmer. Simmer for 20 minutes.

If you want to make this even more simple, you can buy a can of brown gravy, add whatever veggies you like (i.e. mushrooms, onion, broccoli, bell pepper, or carrots), and serve that over rice!

Have a BLESSED day, everyone! LOVE YOU ALL!

Prolonged Absence.....

I am actually at work right now, lovelies! I am not supposed to be doing anything on the internet for "personal" reasons, so I just wanted to get on here REALLY QUICK and tell you all that I am waiting for DirecTV and AT&T to come hook up internet at my house tomorrow. That is why I haven't been able to come on and chat with you all! I am SO SORRY, and I have missed you all SO MUCH! I am looking forward to my return tomorrow night!! YAY!

The Sweet Sound of Music

Hello out there! I hope everyone is doing well. I can't wait to get started exploring the creativity of cooking throughout this blog. I hope that you will bear with me, as I am very new at this. I couldn't think of any other way to kick this off  than sharing a WONDERFUL recipe! I will be making these this evening for my family and friends.

Chocolate Mint Cupcakes (makes 24 cupcakes)
Ingredients:
for the cupcakes:
2 cups sugar
1 3/4 cups flour
3/4 cup cocoa powder
1-1/2 tsp baking powder
1-1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp peppermint extract
1 cup boiling water
Preheat oven to 350F. Line 2 muffins pans with cupcake papers and set aside.
In a large bowl whisk together sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add in eggs, milk, oil and extracts. Beat with an electric mixer on medium speed for 2 minutes. Pour in boiling water and whisk to combine. Batter will be thin.
Fill each cupcake paper 2/3 of the way full with batter and bake for 16-20 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool completely before frosting.
for the frosting:
6 egg whites, room temperature
1 3/4 cups plus 2 Tbs of sugar
1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) of butter, room temperature
2 tsp of vanilla extract
2 tsp peppermint extract
green food coloring, as desired
Whisk together egg whites and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer. Set bowl over a small pot of simmering water and whisk constantly until the sugar dissolves. You know it’s ready with the you cannot feel the sugar when you rub a small amount of mixture between your fingers.
Transfer the bowl to the stand mixer and use the whisk attachment to beat the egg whites into stiff peaks, about 10 minutes. The bowl should be cool to the touch before you move on.
Switch over to the paddle attachment and set the mixer to medium speed. Add the butter 2 Tbs at a time, letting it incorporate before adding another piece. Turn the mixer up to medium-high speed and beat until the frosting comes together. This will take a while, so don’t worry if it looks soupy or curdled at any point. I find that it helps (if it’s not cooperating) to briefly chill in the fridge for a few minutes and then remixing.
Place half of the butter cream into a small bowl and whisk in vanilla extract. Set aside. Using the remaining half of frosting in the stand mixer bowl, mix in peppermint extract and green food coloring. Alternately, you can mix 1 tsp of vanilla and 1 tsp of peppermint into each bowl if you want the peppermint flavor to be consistent through both colors. I’ve done it both ways and don’t have a particular preference. Place frosting in piping bag as detailed above and pipe as desired. Sprinkle cupcakes with chopped Andes or other chocolate mint candies.

To get the green and white swirl effect, I placed my prepared piping bag in a skinny tea/kool-aid pitcher and cut a piece of poster board to fit right down the middle of the bag, vertically. Then I filled one side with green frosting and one side with white frosting and carefully pulled the poster board out. I would suggest doing a practice cupcake first (I always pick the ugly duckling of the bunch) so the white and green is coming out evenly.

We will be having baked cabbage, corn, twice-baked potatoes, and pan-fried herbed pork chops for our entree before eating devouring these YUMMY treats!

Afterwards, it is off to the...

to see...

with special guest...

I heard one of Brantley Gilbert's new songs on my way to work this morning... take a listen...

Beautiful lyrics. I am not even going through a break-up, but this song brought tears to my eyes. I am THRILLED about tonight, and I hope to see some new reader-friends soon. Thanks for reading today, and I hope you have a GREAT day!