Lucas Corner Farmhouse

So it's been a while since I've posted on here.... figure it's time for an update, because quite a bit has changed!! :) Source:  Redefining C My last post was July 22. Since then, we have... ...moved back to our hometown... Source:  love-the-day ...started teaching a fitness class at our new church (which we love)... Source:  Reasons to be Fit ...both started new jobs (against our cat's better wishes)... Source:  25 media Tumbler ...and found out that our family is growing!... The little guy or girl is due May 9, and we'll find out what it is in December!

Are you like me, and you're craving something cold and sweet (aka ice cream) this summer? But.....you want to eat healthy? (and maybe you've had too much Ben&Jerry's lately because it was on sale at Publix recently....) Well...throw this in the blender... *Handful of frozen fruit (I had a mix of strawberries, mangoes, pineapples, and peaches from Wal-Mart plus some frozen raspberries from Publix on hand). *1 teaspoon of flax seed (to help fill you up with just a little extra protein and fiber in the mix) *Milk (a little at a time) ((or yogurt)) Blend, and gradually add milk so that the consistency is just like a frosty....so you can eat it with a spoon! If you make extra, you can put some in a freezer-safe container for next time you're craving a healthy ice cream alternative! :)

I found the inspiration for this recipe on Pinterest (of course!) and made a few changes based on what we have in our cabinets. ((Since we're moving next week, we're trying not to buy lots of new food...so we don't have to pack it haha!)) Also, I decided to give my new toaster oven a shot at cooking a batch of these. The original recipe was posted at... watching-what-I-eat.blogspot.com/2012/06/peanut-butter-banana-oat-breakfast.html. Her recipe included butter extract, vanilla extract, and applesauce. I omitted those three ingredients, and the cookies still came out great! My oven cooks pretty quickly so the cookies had crispy edges right at 23 minutes....but 25 minutes in the toaster oven made them perfect! Here's my revised recipe (simply called Protein-Packed Banana Cookies since that's pretty much all that's in these...protein and bananas and oatmeal!) PROTEIN-PACKED BANANA COOKIES 3 ripe bananas 1/3 cup creamy peanut butter 1 Tbs vanilla protein p...

We got a basket of veggies from a garden shop near us that operates a program similar to a CSA. There was a LOT of cabbage in there (among other veggies)...so we had to find a recipe to use it in! Adam came across this recipe for Country Cabbage Soup , which was DELICIOUS (and a lot meatier than we expected...but that could be due to the fact that we think we inadvertently doubled the amount of meat in the recipe)! We used some of the ground venison we have...and we're pretty sure it's packaged in two-pound packs instead of one-pound packs.  We agree with several of the reviews that it is a good base soup that needed some seasoning to liven it up.  Adam added just a little onion powder, peppercorn garlic seasoning, sage, and cumin (just to give you an idea). If you give it a try, let me know what seasoning you use, so we can change it up from time to time!

These are good. So good! I got the recipe from my great aunt several years ago after I tried some she made for a tailgate. They're also QUITE inexpensive! I like to buy the ranch seasoning in the big jar at Sam's (we sprinkle it over chicken before baking....so having it packets isn't always convenient) anywho, that cuts the price down some too because it's cheaper in bulk! Here's the recipe!! Thanks Blanche!!! 1 cup Canola Oil 1 package dry Ranch Dressing (3Tbsp) 2-3 Tablespoons Red Pepper Flakes Mix ingredients together. Place 3 Sleeves of Saltine Crackers in a Ziploc bag and pour mixture over the crackers. Zip lock the bag and rotate several times over a ten minute time period. I usually place in a clean bag or two or three smaller bags. Enjoy!!!

Today I'm linking up to show my progress in the BedCraftOffice room! :) Hopefully, you'll notice the improvement, and maybe get some organizing ideas in the process! :) Go here to see my before pictures... Spare Room Before And here is how it's looking now! :) This is a good ol' cell phone picture I sent a friend of mine to show progress while I was cleaning...so....take a look around...now check out the next picture! Yay! You can sorta see my make-shift ribbon holder hanging from the curtain rod. Well, I sorta liked the idea, but def wanted something different, or a way to improve it (you can see it better in the picture of the other side of the room)...and I found the perfect thing a the thrift store...it'll be in my next update! (Unless it sneaks its way into a post before then!) See the Yellow Boxes in the top left cubby of my desk? Nesquick containers! I spray painted the bottoms green (like the trays just above them) and kept...

This month, I'm participating in the 29 Day Organizational Challenge over at I'm an Organizing Junkie !  I started to brainstorm how to make this room a better place before I knew about this challenge...but luckily, I didn't do anything other than shred a few papers and hang up some earrings before the challenge started!! This room is our spare room/office/sewing room.  There are who-knows-how-many books, half of my sewing supplies, all of my craft supplies, a TV, a bed, and some random boxes hiding behind the bed (and more books...). So, I'm going to show you the before picture....don't judge me! The room is perfectly sized for a spare room OR and office OR a sewing room...so the before picture is quite cluttered. Hence, the plan to organize! :) Let's see here...from left to right...a cat, an empty box, a box of random Christmas things to store, a notebook, some things I found at the Target dollar aisle to organize with, a chair with a mi...

Here is the baked apples recipe I cooked last night...the recipe my mom gave me over the phone one day! They're my favorite!! :) Basically, slice some apples, cut up 1tsp of butter and place around the apples in a baking dish, sprinkle cinnamon on top, then spread about a 1/2c of brown sugar on top (more or less based on your sweet tooth). Bake at around 375* for about 15-20 min or until the apples are tender.

My sister-in-law sent this recipe to me, then cooked it for Christmas...it is so good! The apple glaze makes it even better! :) we ate this tonight with steamed broccoli and baked apples (because you can't have too many apples in one meal?? I think I was craving apples when I put this on the menu haha!) •Cinnamon Chicken• ((Thanks Julia!!)) 1/3 C butter or margarine 1 C crushed vanilla wafers 1/2 tsp salt 1/2 tsp cinnamon 1/2 tsp nutmeg 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts •Apple Glaze• 1/4 C butter 2tsp corn starch 10oz jar apple jelly 1C unpeeled, cubed apple •Directions• Preheat oven to 350*. In an ungreased 9x13 baking dish, melt the 1/3 c butter in preheated oven (5-7min). In a square baking dish or a 9" pie pan, combine crushed vanilla wafers, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Stir to blend. Dip chicken into melted butter, then roll into seasoned crumbs to coat. Place coated chicken in same 9x13 dish; sprinkle with remaining crumb mixture. Bake near center of...

After many months of not writing down my meal plan, and scrambling at 5:30 to find something to cook for dinner....I've written a February Meal Plan! :) Every two or three days, I include a day of leftovers for two reasons: a break from cooking, and a time to clean out the fridge. There are some recipes that are already on my blog, some that are on other blogs, and some in cookbooks around my house.  If you want a recipe you see on the calendar right now, let me know, and I'll give you a link or type it up for you! Otherwise...these are the recipes you can expect to see mentioned on my blog this month! (Along with whatever else I bake along the way).  I'll give you a fair warning...there are going to be days when we scratch what's on the menu and eat leftovers or go out to eat haha! But at least this way, I have something to refer to. In the past, I've made a master shopping list and took one day to hunt down the best deals for the ingredients in the menu. ...

I think I've said before...I love Pinterest. I have LOTS of things pinned that I intend to do one day...then forget about. So, I just looked over some of my recent pins and found a few things I'm going to work on this week. Yep, using Pinterest to help write my to-do list haha! :) To-Do List Source: frugallygreen.blogspot.com via Wendy on Pinterest I really want to try to make some homemade laundry detergent! I've found a few every-so-slightly different recipes online, and this one seems like the most popular one! I'm going to start by cutting the recipe in half and using an old milk jug to store the detergent in. Source: imperfectlybeautifulms.blogspot.com via Wendy on Pinterest I have a Silhouette SD, and now that they've released the Silhouette Cameo, I'm thinking there is going to be a day when it will be hard to find the cutting mats for the SD.  So...I need to learn this trick, and I have a few older mats I can ...

I got home from work with absolutely nothing planned for dinner tonight....I have a FREEZER FULL of meat, but cooking a last minute dinner with frozen solid meat is hard to do. I had about a half pound of venison sausage (it wouldn't fit in the freezer haha)....so....I looked in all of my cookbooks for a quick recipe. Keep in mind, I need to go grocery shopping tomorrow, so anything that requires milk is out (making my sausage casserole a no-go tonight!) I found a recipe for Tex-Mex Fettuccine in The $7 a Meal Cookbook that sounded good and I had (almost) all of the ingredients on hand. I want to try the original recipe one day, but until I have those ingredients, here's what I'm eating right now (which is quite tasty if I say so myself!! :) ) 1/2 lb sausage (I used medium heat venison sausage) 1/2 cup chopped onion (I buy several onions at once, chop them, and freeze them in bags of 1/2c-1c measurements, so the onion becomes a quick and easy recipe addition) 1tsp ...

Adam and I ran the Auburn Classic Half Marathon today! It's a race I've been wanting to run since my first 5K in 2006. It was rough!!! There were some hills, and I rolled my right foot around mile 4.5. It's not unusual for me to roll my ankle when I run...it actually happens during just about every race we run, but this time it hurt a little more, so I slowed down for the next 9 miles haha! My mom warned me about blisters, so I thought I was prepared...but let me tell you...a blister in your arch is no fun haha! Needless to say, I was quite slow today, but still happy with my results (considering we jumped from a 5K to a half-marathon without doing a 10K first haha!) Plus, we got medals for finishing...how cool is that? I guess now, it's time to sign up for a 5K in February!

Look what Nova got in the mail this week! Her new tag came from Lisa at Keefer Style Creations on etsy , and the really cool part....the proceeds go towards the shop owner's son's mission trip to Haiti.  There is one for puppies too! Lisa started to use her etsy shop to help fund her medical mission trips to Haiti.  She has lots of adorable hand stamped jewelry that I love!!! Go check out her blog to read her story and see her jewelry! :) wew.keeferstylecreations.com

Yesterday morning I went with my friend Callie to a few of the thrift stores around us (we have four that I know of, plus a huge antique mall that's fun to walk through). She was on the hunt for some cool picture frames, and was just looking! I kinda wanted to find one of those coffee mug trees to put on my "coffee bar"...but I have a feeling that's going to be something I look for for a while haha! I DID manage to find some pretty great deals though!! :) I got a comfy chunky cream colored sweater for less than $5! :) At the next store, I found a really nice (heavy!) mirror for just under $7. I'm thinking about hanging it above the couch, under the shelf we put up. I also found a box of zippers (new and old!) for 25cents a piece, so Callie helped me pick out 15 of different colors and sizes! Time to make some purses now, right?? :) I also found a nifty little storage drawer for my craft room. I'm in the process of organizing the craft room/guest room/office, a...

I just finished a new design that I'll be listing in my etsy shop later this week sometime...I call it the "Ruth eReader Cover" after my grandmother's cousin, who is the first owner of this design! Per her suggestion, there is a pouch on the back for keeping a pair of reading glasses....so you don't have to look for them! This was designed for the Kindle that measures about 5"x7" but I can adjust it for other sizes of course! Let me know what you think!

Thank you all for entering! (made my day! :) ) Before I announce the winner, I've got two things to share.... 1. As a thank you to those of you who entered the giveaway, if you buy anything in my shop through January 31, I'll give you a credit for a free digital card designed by me! I'll email each of you details about that soon. 2. I have a coupon code for anyone reading this right now! :) 40% off your purchase in my etsy store this week! (through January 15), with the code JAN40 at checkout. And now for the winner......Jill! I'll email you soon so we can talk about what you'd like your passport cover to look like! Thanks again everyone, and send all your friends to my blog because I'm planning on doing a giveaway at the beginning of every month! They may be from my shop, and they may be something totally different!

Quick reminder...my Etsy Shop Giveaway ends tomorrow at midnight CST, so go enter now !! :) :) It's dinner time! What are you cooking/ordering/warming up? Tonight, we tried out The Krazy Coupon Lady's crock pot recipe and it's delicious! I put my chicken on top of spinach and Swiss cheese ((yum)) and made honey-baked carrots and sweet potato fries to go with it! Both are super simple to make and only take about 30 to prepare and cook!! WENDY'S FAVORITE BAKED SWEET POTATO FRIES Wash, peel, and slice sweet potatoes. Place on an aluminum foil covered cookie sheet. Drizzle olive oil over the fries, then sprinkle with pumpkin pie spice. Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes until crispy (but not burnt!) HONEY BAKED CARROTS Put carrots in a baking dish, cover with water, drizzle honey over the top, and bake in a 350 oven for 15-20 minutes. Let me know if you've got any delicious recipes we need to try! If you followed my blog about 6 months ago, you might remem...

1/8/2024 Update! I wrote this post 12 years ago!! Every spring and every January, my blog (that I don't update nearly often enough!) gets a lot of attention on this post about a simple cleaning plan! That makes a lot of sense though, right? That said, I noticed while doing laundry this week that it's time to buy some fresh microfiber towels for us to use for wiping down surfaces. While I'm shopping, I'm going to make a list here of some of our go-to cleaning supplies that you can find online. Microfiber Cleaning Cloths  - I use these for just about everything. I've had more and less expensive ones over the years, but I find as long as I wash them separate from any lint towels, they hold up well for a few years. Glass Spray Bottles  - I have one (and need more!). I like to dilute a little castile soap or dish soap in one for the boys to help clean surfaces. Currently, I have homemade pine cleaner in mine. I put a bunch of fresh pine straw in a jar, filled it with vin...

Raise your hand if you slept through the end of 2011/the beginning of 2012..... I'm raising mine (woops!) I'm pretty sure we passed out around 11, maybe 1130....but we were pretty pooped because we cleaned the house from top to bottom, and put away our Christmas decorations all day! We woke up Sunday morning to a few text messages and an update from ESPN letting us know that Auburn won their bowl game! Well, to ring in the New Year, I thought I'd share this calendar from my Red Stamp app! :) I think I'm going to make it the background on my phone! Happy new Year's everyone! :) Don't forget to enter my giveaway by commenting on the post at this link ( http://bit.ly/tGCFMw ). If you tweet about it, you get an extra entry! The drawing will be on January 7!