Snow, Snow, and then look, some more snow!

So I don't know about all of you, but I have had enough of Snow, Winter, and all the other crappy things that it brings along with it.

I have been snowed in my house and have been sick for the past 5 days and OMG, I am so sick of ALL of it! We got about 4-5" of snow, it has been freezing and I have been able to go nowhere, and winter is just getting started. I finally started feeling better on Monday, but goodness I cannot seem to catch a break, I thought I was over all the sore throat, coughing, and fevers; however, round 2 was way worse!!

Sorry I just had to vent that out :)

I do hope everyone else enjoyed the snow and got to go out and have lots of fun playing in it! It was pretty for the first 2 days, but now I am so ready to send it on its way!

I am so ready for warm weather, sandals, pretty toe-nails, and my fave, tank tops!! I am also ready to go get on a beach somewhere and just lay and soak up the rays :) I just love love love summer time and can't wait for it to make an appearance!

So, I really got side tracked. Lets get on to what this blog is really all about! Over the month of December I didn't get to post as many blogs as I would have liked, because I was WAY to busy reading a new series of Novels that are TO DIE FOR!! If you like to read a good book then you have to go to Wal-mart right now and pick up the first novel The girl with a dragon tattoo, by Stieg Larsson.

So let me tell you I got the first copy The girl with the dragon tattoo as a birthday present from my dearest friend Whitney!! She told me something which was good advice so I will pass it on to anyone who wants to read these. When you pick the first book up it is really boring for the first 150-200 pages. Its all back ground information that you do need to know, but once the story itself gets started I promise you will not want to put these books down, esp. the 2nd and 3rd one. It gets so much better as it goes on and on!!

If your real adventurous they have the movies out, but this book was originally written in Swedish so the movie is in that language with English Sub-titles.

I did watch the movies and I thought they were pretty good myself. The 3rd one comes out January 25th and I am so excited :)

Until the next time I hope everybody stays safe and warm in this cold weather!!

Much Love,

Ashley B :) 

My 1st recipe of 2011

So as you all know as I said before, one of my New Years resolutions is to learn to cook more and try new food. So last night I went into the kitchen and made up my own meal. Well it probably has been done many times before in millions of different ways, but this is my own unique way and it is super super easy and tastes delish.

So the ingredients are as follows:

2 Pieces of frozen chicken, I always buy those bags of chicken from walmart, but if you like you can just use regular chicken.

1 Package of Lipton Rice Sides Broccoli and Cheddar

Salt and Pepper

Lemon Pepper Seasoning

1 Table spoon of Unsalted Butter for each piece of chicken

Red Pepper

1/2 tbl spoon Minced Garlic plus a dash more for each piece of chicken

So to get started you defrost your chicken, or you can go the easy way and buy chicken that is not frozen!! I have the salt and pepper grinders and I do 1 round of Salt and Pepper on each side of the chicken. Then I sprinkle the lemon pepper seasoning on each side. Go light with it or it will be too lemony. set the chicken aside and let it sit in the flavors.

In a small pot make the Lipton Rice Sides. Its super easy and those packages are only like $.99, you just bring 2 cups of water, 1 tblsp. of butter, and the package to a boil and simmer covered for 7 minutes. Easy, easy, easy. But heres a hint, if you like your rice thick like I do then don't put the whole 2 cups of water in the pot. I always put 2 cups then pour a dash out.

But while you are bringing the rice to a boil but your butter and minced garlic in a pan let the garlic cook just a minute. Chop your chicken into pieces and put in the pan and dash with red pepper. If you like the garlic you can put more or less in there. just whatever you desire.

When the Chicken is finished cooking  put in a plate and set aside. Get your bowls out put some of the rice in each bowl and top with the chicken. It is so good and it takes all of 15 minutes to make :)

Here is a pic of the finished product:

I would say serving size is for 2 people so if you want to make it for more just double up on everything :) Hope everyone trys this and enjoys this as much as I did!!

Until the next time,

Much Love,

Ashley B :)

Merry Christmas to all and to all a goodnight...and Happy New Year!!

WOW!! I cannot believe how long it has been since I have posted a new blog. I have so much to talk about and alot of pictures to share today!!

First off lets start off with the Christmas. I hope everyone had an awesome Christmas, I know I sure did!! We did the usual we got started the Sunday before Christmas with my grandmother. We first went to the Christmas Play at Church. In which my mother and grandmother gave me a guilt trip into singing in the choir, I don't really sing but my grandmother said that "it would just mean so much to her if she could see me singing in the choir", so of course I did. Who can say no to that quote LOL!! Then we had a huge meal and hung out with the family and opened the first of many presents to come.

Next came my Dads family Christmas on Monday night. I had decided before hand that I wasn't going to go because of reasons that you would just have to know my family for, but at the last minute I changed my mind..well not really. Jesse just said that he thought we should go so we did. It was a really quick dinner but in the end I am however, glad that I went.

Then the rest of the Christmas activities got started on Christmas Eve. We went to Jesses Mawmaw Bakers and had another huge fantastic meal. We watched all the kiddies open their presents then we jetted over to my parents house where we opened presents and played cards for a short bit...but I was loosing tremendously so I quit and went home to clean my house to prepare for my Christmas Party at my house the next day (or so I thought).

So then I woke up the next morning and Jesse came in the bedroom and was like "do not get up until I come get you" and I could hear him in the living room wrapping presents...LOL!! He always makes fun of me for procrastinating but I had to laugh that he was wrapping presents Christmas Morning!! So I got up and we exchanged our gifts to each other...of course our Christmas was our new TV, wii, and play station 3. But he got me a book that I wanted, some stuff from Victoria Secret, and he did really really good on my stocking. I just love it when he does the little stuff that always counts way more than the bigger stuff :) but anyways by this time there was a TON of snow on the ground and we headed out to his parents house. There we had a fantastic breakfast. Homemade biscuits and grits and gravy are the best :) Then we all exchanged gifts and hung out until we all had to part ways on to the next place to go.

Like I said before I was planning a Christmas Party at my house for my parents, grandmother, Toni and derrick and my 2 great aunts. I had so much food I was so sad that the snow canceled those plans. So Jesse and I made my grandmother, and my aunts little plates that had Red Velvet Cheesecake factory cheesecake, Lemon Bunt Cake, and other goodies that I had made along with their presents and we went and visited with them for the most part of the day. Then my parents and Toni and Derrick came over and we gave Madison her present. and we ended the night going to bed early because I was so tired from all the running that we had to do that day. Then I spent the rest of my holiday break with this awful sinus infection that kept me on the couch for 3 days. Being sick is the worst :(

Here are a few pics of Christmas, I forgot my camera so I only have what my sister took :(

So on to our New Years Eve plans. We had plans to go to Justin and Heathers house and spend the night to ring in the New Year. We had TONS of fun!! We had everyone playing Just Dance 2 on the wii, we had corn-hole boards which I do not really participate in. I just can't grasp why anyone in their right mind would want to throw bean bags at a board but lots of people just love it including my husband, and then they had tons of food and some good Beer Pong Games which I also did not participate in because Beer is disgusting. Then we rang in the new year dancing it away!! Totally fun....until I was ready to go to bed and everyone else wasn't. So I got to stay up until 7AM and I got to sleep until 9:30 AM...that really wasn't that much fun :( I def. am getting way to old to be up that late :)

Then I got up and went to IKEA and gah I just love love love that store. I spent like all day in there and got a TON of stuff. I got some curtains for my bedroom, some pictures, some throw pillows, and new lamp, a bookcase, a coffee table, some candles, candle holders, and alot of other random stuff that I ran upon that I needed!! Great great store and I cannot wait to go back!!!

Here are some pics from New Years EVE thanks to Dawn for sharing on Facebook: