Last night was great...

So to get things started I wanted to post a picture of the meal I made last night that was so great!!! I have never made Hamuburger Steaks with Mushroom Gravy, but when I tasted it I was pleasently surprised at how wonderful the sauce turned out! I wanted to share in my new recipe with everyone! (I would definitely recommend the red wine :) )


1 to 1 1/4 pounds extra lean ground beef
1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon seasoned salt
3 tablespoons fine dry bread crumbs
2 tablespoons milk
1 large egg, slightly beaten
2 tablespoons grated onion
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 to 3/4 cup thinly sliced mushrooms
2 tablespoons flour
1 cup beef broth
1 tablespoon dry red wine, optional

Preparation:
Combine ground beef, pepper, salt, seasoned salt, egg, onion (if you like), milk and bread crumbs. Shape into 4 oval patties. Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat; fry the patties for about 5 minutes on each side, or until cooked through. Remove patties to warm plate and keep warm. Pour off all but about 2 tablespoons of the drippings. Add mushrooms to the drippings and cook until tender. Add flour to the skillet; stir until hot and bubbly. Add the beef broth and wine, (if you like) cook, stirring, until the sauce is thickened. Pour over the steaks and serve with potatoes and a vegetable side dish. Serves 4. Yummy!

Next on my to do list last night was to begin making our "Thing 1 & Thing 2" circles that we are going to put on our Halloween costumes for Saturday. What do you think? I think they turned out cute :) Can't wait...pictures of the entire costume to come soon!

Football...

Can I just say that I'm in love with football. I was thinking out loud to Amanda today and I started thinking about how half the season is already over and I feel like it just started. We wait all these months for football to start and then it's over in an instant! Boo.

On a better note, Alabama is still undefeated...and after yesterday's game, I'm guessing that this year they are literally going to give me a heart attack. Crazy, but I love the adrenaline rush!

Today, the Saints came out on top and they are still undefeated. Awesome. What a great way to show the critics that we truly can come back from being down on the scoreboard. But I think the best part was when some of the Saints players decided to go and high-five Saints fans that had made the trip down to Miami. I see how this city is about their Saints and I truly think they couldn't win without their fans!!!!

No NCSU game this weekend. Hopefully they can come back after the past few weekends of "interesting" football and give us a win. We are going in a couple of weeks to Raleigh and it's going to be awesome...I just can't wait! Amanda has turned me into a fan :)

Sweet Potatoes...

Last night we decided that we were going to try to cook sweet potatoes with dinner because we both absolutely love them!!! But, neither of us had actually cooked them before -- eaten a lot of them, but never cooked them. So, when were in the grocery store we saw a sign for yams, so we asked a lady what is the difference between sweet potatoes and yams. She began to explain that she was from the country and that she knew the difference, so she picked some out for us. As we were walking around we heard her talking to another lady about them -- it was kind of funny. Anyways, so I looked up how long and on what temp and so the cooking began...and it continued...and continued...and continued. And finally I told Amanda that if it took over an hour and half, I would just run to Popeye's and get some mashed potatoes because we were both so hungry. So, yes indeed, this is exactly what happened. Boo, we had failed miserably. But when I was on my way home, Amanda called and said the sweet potatoes were done. SERIOUSLY!!! So, we decided to eat the sweet potatoes because that is what we had been craving, but alas they weren't mushy enough for us so they were a big disappointment. The mashed potatoes we will have this weekend sometime, so they won't go to waste. Hopefully we can try again with the sweet potatoes or just make the sweet potato souffle instead next time, which is out of this world!!! Amanda's memaw has the secret ingredient, orange juice...yummy!!! This was our night -- we watched the movie Amelie and got bored with it in the end. Oh well, we still had a good night. :)

Hope all is well!

Sometimes...you just don't know what to do

Today I went to the doctor because what I thought was just "scarring alopecia" actually is caused by something and we're trying to figure out what it is/what caused it. Last Thursday I was in a lot of pain, so I made an appointment with a doctor that somebody recommended and she was great. It's nice to know that there are doctors out there that want to help. I have been to a few over the past several years, just to learn that they didn't know what it was, so they just shoved some creams and meds in my face and said "here ya go" -- pretty much. Hopefully the biopsies will show something and we can get it treated. But I have to tell you that I am in a lot pain, probably more than I thought I would or I'm wanting to admit. It hurts to lay on it, either side, or my back especially. So, I might have to sleep on the couch tonight just so I can sleep somewhat comfortably. Now, all I have to do is wait and hope that it's something easy that nothing a few steroid injections won't fix.

Here's to hoping!

Family Fun Weekend!!!

So, my family came to visit and we had a great time :) There were a lot of fun things that we did around the city. Emily had a blast, even though sometimes she showed it in a not so fun way...aka crying, whining, pouting, etc. I absolutely had the best weekend ever! Here are a few pictures from our adventures this weekend.

Being Frustrated with Chase!

Our home is an amazing thing, but nobody ever told me how hard it would be on the flip side. I didn't know a lot of things going into buying our first home. The frustrations that I have felt over the past several weeks are very hard to explain. I absolutely hate when you have to talk to people on the phone because they are specialized, but then they don't have the answers. It's been a frustrating situation, but we're getting somewhere slowly but surely.

But today I had to go to a branch to pay the mortgage and so I went in the drive-thru because it was raining. Now, I work at a bank so I do know a thing or two about how you are suppose to treat your customers, even if they go through the drive thru. The teller was extremely rude when I asked her for a pen, yes yes I did not bring my purse, just my wallet...I'm a horrible person I know. Or at least that's the way she seemed. Ugh, so after sending the tube back with my receipt she said nothing...not a Have a good day or even a Thank you...there was nothing. Horrible.

Other than that things are good. :) My family comes this weekend and I'm super excited!

Thinking in the morning...

I'm sitting here drinking my coffee and staring into space it seems. When you begin to look at your life and all the people in it, you kind of get that warm and fuzzy feeling inside, at least I do. My gg isn't doing so well and it makes me think back on better times. I think back to the days when my gg would keep us and we would go to McDonald's to get the kids meal and she would get her fish sandwich and we would play in the playground for hours. I think back about when she would yell at us in stores because we would hide in the clothes and jump out and scare her. I think back when could walk easily into the house on Christmas morning with bags filled with toys and clothes she had made. I think back when she would crochet blankets for the people that live in Russia all year long, there were always so many blankets in her room, she was always working on one. I think back about the first time she held Emily and how happy she was. I think back when she took us on cruise and how she wanted to do everything with me and Les because she was worried about us on the ship running around without supervision. These are just a few thoughts about my gg. She's an amazing woman...I just wish I had realized it years ago.