Red, White and Blue...

I cannot believe it is nearly July!  That means red, white and blue along with repeated playings of Lee Greenwood’s Proud to be an American.  Sparklers, homemade ice-cream, barbeques and fireworks.  With the 4^th of July quickly approaching I decided to do a little holiday decorating. Nothing much, I am still hoping to add a little more…maybe even some handcrafted items.  It’s a work in progress!

 Apple Pie hand soap compliments of Bath and Body Works semi-annual sale…

 American flag door hanging…

…and I’m proud to be an American…

Runza Casserole...mmm

In an effort to be more homemakerish, I tried my hand at Runza Casserole tonight.  It certainly had its ups and downs.  I always get nervous trying something new and it usually doesn’t turn out quite right the first time around. 

The ingredients were ready to go, but I decided to make a smaller portion since there were only two of us eating.  Seemed simple enough…just use half of each of the ingredients.  Everything was going well until it was time to lay out the crescent rolls.  Rookie Mistake #1 – Use at least two packages of crescent rolls next time.   Half the package didn’t quite cover the bottom even with every effort to stretch the dough. 

 Rookie Mistake #2 – Use a larger pan to fry the hamburger, onions and cabbage.  It was a little tough at the end as the ingredients were nearly over flowing!

I continued on with my stomach growling louder by the minute.  After already learning in rookie mistake #1 that I needed more dough, I knew I would have to make due as I tried to cover the top of the meat.  Stretching the dough would do no good, so I decided to just leave a little uncovered.

I patiently waited for my Runza Casserole to bake when Rookie Mistake #3 dawned on me…I forgot to add the cheese!  Oops!  I was not extremely disappointed because I generally order my Runzas without cheese.

The baking was done and it was time to eat.  I even tried a little sample while I waited for Trent to get home.  I couldn’t wait to try it out and while I’m not one to brag, it was delicious!

{The Final Verdict}

Presentation: C

Taste: A…in my opinion!

Flowers...

I have been wanting a hanging plant since the first days of spring and decided to make it happen on the last official day of spring.  I used a portion of my garage sale profits to purchase the goods and put my own together this year!

 Before…

After…

So pretty!

Happy Summer!

Take me out to the ballgame...

I love this time of year…the College World Series comes to Omaha and it is baseball fever!  The CWS is a must do on my summer list each year.  I was especially excited this year because it was new beginnings and new traditions in Omaha with the unveiling of a new stadium.  I was so excited that I was willing to go to the opening game of the College World Series. 

It was a great day for baseball and things really seemed to fall into place…leaving me thinking at times that it was too good to be true.  We all piled into the minivan Omaha bound just hours before game time.  We parked at Midtown Crossing and rode the shuttle that dropped us off right in front of the Qwest Center for FREE!  Then we walked the block to the stadium only to find NO lines in the general admission section and straight into the stadium to find seats together just a few rows up. 

With about thirty minutes until game time, I began soaking it all in...the Omaha skyline, the new stadium and the excitement in the air.  In the meantime, my cotton tank top was soaking in all the sweat a warm and humid Nebraska day can cause and I was already feeling the need to reapply sunscreen.  At the game, we got to see George W. Bush throw out the first pitch, share a $3.50 pop, cheer on the Vanderbilt Commodores in their first CWS appearance and get a little sun…burn.  But I wasn’t complaining!  It’s all part of the experience.    



George W. Bush throwing out the first pitch…

 

Game time… 

TL and I enjoying the game…

Two Years and Counting...

This past Sunday, Trent and I celebrated two years of wedded bliss.  We didn’t have anything big planned, just an easy Sunday to hang out together.  It started Saturday night with dinner at our favorite restaurant…El Bee’s!  Then a trip to Bath and Body Works so I could hit up their semi-annual sale and Target to buy new bike tires for Trent’s bike so we could go on a bike ride together.

Before leaving for dinner I insisted on taking a picture together…or 4.  When it comes to pictures, Trent is just like Earl on My Name is Earl and can’t keep his eyes open for a stinkin’ picture!  Therefore, multiple shots are required until the perfect moment is captured.  Unfortunately I could sense Trent’s frustrations rising more after each picture until he finally said, “This is why I don’t like taking pictures with you, Megan.”  Oops, excuse me for wanting to commemorate our second anniversary!  After that little bump in the road, we were off to dinner.

Sunday started with me trying to be “the good wife” and make pancakes while Trent put on his bike tires.   Bad news was that as Trent was putting on the last tire, it popped!  Thank goodness for good in-laws who let us borrow a bike so we could still go for a Sunday afternoon stroll!  It was a beautiful day out so after our bike ride we hung out on Trent’s parents’ deck and took a little nap…well, Trent did anyway!  I might have dozed off in the sun a little.  Finally, after a long afternoon, it was time for dinner, burgers on the grill!  I couldn’t have asked for a better day!

Still smiling after two years…

Trent preferred a spot in the shade while I soaked in the sunshine and summertime!

The traditional 2^nd anniversary gift calls for cotton…my mom went above and beyond to give us a cotton themed gift.  A cotton towel, cotton candy, and of course, cotton balls!  Thanks mom! 

Of course…then.  June 12, 2009…

Chi-Ching...

Two years ago, just after Trent and I got married, we had a major garage sale and unloaded all of our extras or duplicates that we received new as wedding gifts or wanted to buy new.  It was a big success and the extra money was the icing on the cake!

This weekend was Ashland’s annual garage sale weekend so Kayla, Naomi and I all put our things together to have another garage sale.  Trent and I didn’t have any big items this time, but we definitely had a lot of things we could stand to part with.  A two bedroom apartment doesn’t leave a lot of room for extra storage and it is amazing how things accumulate over time.  Clothes, picture frames and body lotions and sprays were among some of the items we put on the garage sale market.  Our big ticket item was a big bulky t.v. (that sold for $20!)

Our theme for the garage sale was “everything’s a $1.00 unless otherwise marked!”  This saved us time since we wouldn’t have to mark every single item…too bad I already had everything marked before I heard about this grand idea.  Oh well… 

The sale went from Thursday through Saturday and brought in lots of business from near and far.  Apparently no garage sale goes off without a little excitement.  Thursday was a little rainy.  Then all of the sudden there was a downpour with HUGE raindrops and tornado sirens!  It was so bizarre because it didn’t even look bad out, but customers wanted to take cover.  Within 5 minutes the sirens stop and business resumed as usual.   

While we are no pro garage sellers…I would say that overall, the weekend was a success!  I was excited to see things I no longer need or use go to good use.  

 The garage was packed full and overflowed onto the driveway.  It was much more organized than it looks here!

 Lainey was our biggest helper.  She made sure the customers were satisfied and even found a few a lot of items she wanted for herself!

Check out the cash!  My final profit came in at $88.30…not a bad price to pay for less junk!

summer, summer, summertime...

It’s official…I’m on summer vacation!  I love summer. Warm weather. Sunshine. Barbeques. Sleeping in. Swimming.  And this summer…reading.  

I love to read, but for me, finding time to read is like finding a needle in a haystack!  It’s partially my own fault.  While I am super busy, I also don’t make time to read.  My free time quickly disappears to the t.v. or computer.  I’m the type of person that will start a book, love it, and still take six months to finish it.  However, I would describe this summer as a relatively relaxing one so I’m turning over a new leaf!  I am looking forward to sleeping in, days by the pool and lots and lots of reading.  To make sure that comes true, I came up with a summer reading list.  I started out with a goal of 10 books to read this summer.  I had a few books right away that I wanted to read, but got stuck around 7.  As I talked to people, they started recommending books that I MUST read.  Now my list consists of 12 books…ready to be read by yours truly!

Summer Reading List…

1. Cold Tangerines

2. Unbroken

3. Heaven is for Real

4. Half Broke Horses

5. Bittersweet

6. One Thousand Gifts

7. Safe Haven

8. Corrie ten Boom

9. The Shack

10. Wild at Heart

11. Hoot

12. The Help

Here are the books I already have on hand.  WIth the help of my Kindle I think I am set to go!  I will check back at the end of the summer and let you know how I did!  I’m already almost finished with one…started it a couple months ago, but added it to the list for a boost of confidence when I can finally cross it off!  For now, I must go pick up a book!