Turning over a new leaf

Recently my husband decided that he wanted to try and get back to being healthy. We've both gained a little weight over the past couple of years [him more than I ...sshhh]. More than losing weight though, we've both gotten into some pretty unhealthy eating habits. I won't be cutting out sweets and fatty foods completely [the hubby is though] but I will be trying to eat about 50% raw. And by raw I DO NOT mean that crazy "Raw Food Diet" where you basically can't eat anything. I mean that I want to make a tleast 50% of my diet fresh fruits and veggies. I will laso be juicing a lot more. For those of who are wondering, the type of "juicing" I'm referring to doesn't involve steroids [LOL]. We LOVE our juicer [we have THIS ONE] and my hubby uses it much more than I do. Hopefully I'll be changing that in upcoming weeks. Another thing I should mention is that wonderful hubby of mine has a very weak immune system. When he was younger he developed a pretty bad case of croup that actually lasted about 5 years [WOW!] In the process of trying to cure him, the antibiotics he was prescribed killed his immune system, but NOT the croup. After developing asthma, as a result of the croup, his pediatrician decided he needed to be on steroids [he was 7] His father decided that steroids were NOT the road his 7 year old was going to travel, and he began looking into alternative medacine. It was on this trel for knowledge that he found a woman who would later cure Jesse of all that ails him. Unfortunately his immune system could not be restored. In the years that I've known Jesse he has been quarantined twice. Both times he was preparing for deployment [Iraq 2010] He was given vaccines [as usual] only he couldn't fight the live virus vaccines and was quarantined once for small pox, and once for MRSA. [Poor guy!] He also has a gluten allergy [the list just gets longer!] These are all things he's had to learn to live with, and being his wife, I've had to do the same. I'll be sharing our adventures with you, here on this blog. I'll show you hubby's collection of health boosters [Spirulina, Green Tea, Oregano oil, etc]. I'll show you what we're eating on our new quest for better health, and I'll even throw in some gluten free meals as we experiment with them. I look forward to taking this journey, and coming out happy and healthy on the other side. Will you join me?

Day 6: Pet Peeves

Day 6 is all about pet peeves, and boy! Do I have some pet peeves!! Let's start small, I canNOT stand poor grammar. It doesn't bother me as much in text [I get it, we all make typos, it happens] but when we are face to face and you can't form a complete sentence, well, I'd just as soon not talk to you. [unless you're three in which case I could excuse your lack of grammar.. coincidentally enough, my 3 year old nephew can hold a more intelligent conversation that the growing majority] I don't like slow people. By slow I mean the girl in front of you in the mall dragging her feet for no apparent reason, the guy in line at Subway that has apparently never eaten there before and needs a detailed description of EVERY item on the menu before ordering, you get my drift. Move with a purpose people! I'm also irritated by people that seem oblivious to their surroundings. We all know them. They're driving the car in front of you that never got the memo to "turn right on red". They're the people asking for directions when they're standing in front of the directory. The light turns green and they're busy digging for gold. THOSE guys, make me nuts. I can't stand people that have children and/or dogs that they allow to run wild, with  seemingly no discipline or consequences. "Seriously lady, your dog just peed in the middle of the aisle, aren't you gonna clean it up?? What's your dog even doing in Lowe's anyway? Is the roof on his dog house leaking?" Why do people feel the need to take their dogs everywhere with them? I LOVE my little Cali, but she and I both know she isn't concerned with whatever errands I need to run. She would rather be in the backyard with that big black cat up a tree for the millionth time. So, I'll leave her to be a dog, and if I see something she MUST know about, well I'll snap a photo on my phone and we'll discuss it when I get home. The only times I take Cali with me into public, is when I'm going somewhere appropriate for her. For example the dog beach, or fishing, maybe the park. NOT the grocery store. I also HATE when I can hear someone breathing. Especially that "I'm suffocating in between every bite of this cheeseburger" gasping for air while they eat.. Seriously? I don't draw the line there though, I can't sleep if I can hear my husband breathing. That's right BREATHING, imagine the mini homicide that plays through my mind when he starts full on snoring. I never act out anything [JEEZ!] But, I have been known to drop a bow in the middle of the night to cease the snoring. I also hate when I can hear people chew. Actually, this list could pretty long. In general I think ANY and ALL grunting/snorting/heavy breathing noises are gross. Farting, and burping included. People just have no tact these days. I don't want to hear it, and when you openly do these things in front of me, it changes my opinion of you. I now think you're a slob. Don't get me wrong, accidents happen. I'm referring to those people that think it's cute, especially the "women" that think it's cute. It's not. It's very unladylike and unattractive. Ok, now that I got that rant out of the way. I think I'm done here! Have a good day!!

Here's a snapshot of our weekend :)

Day 5: A photo of you as child

 

Welcome back everyone! Today's post is going to be pretty short. Since a photo says a million words, I guess I won't need to say much! Here's some baby Kaicee :)

And here's one of me and a few of my siblings

From left to right:

Chrissy [middle sister, and also owner of http://www.parloandlogi.com/ ]
Lia [Oldest]

Me, and Cj [Younger brother]

OK one more, just the girls :)

Day 4: Your Parents

Hi everyone! We're up to day 4 of "30 days of blogging"! Today, I'm gonna tell you a little bit about my parents, but be warned, I have quite a few.

Lets start off with my dad, Chris. He's my hero. My daddy has always been there no matter what. He's always put my needs and even my wants above his. He's the smartest man I know. He can build anything, fix anything, literally DO anything, and I have him to thank for my inquisitive mind. If I don't know how to do something, I'll google it, or find a book on it, and teach myself. I'm not afraid to jump head first into something unfamiliar and figure it out. I get that from my dad too. Growing up I was ALWAYS Daddy's girl. We'd spend every spare moment together. My fondest memories are riding around in his old work truck. I loved our fishing trips, our shiner hole, and catching bass at the spillway. I'll never forget the night I caught my record bass. I landed it, and I was beaming from ear to ear.. BUT we weren't bass fishing, we were snook fishing, and he was in the "snook zone" so, without a second thought he tossed it right back. No one ever believes me when I tell that story, it's just a "fish tail" he wasn't THAT big.. but if I had to pick one person to share that story with, I'm glad it was my daddy. He never sugar coated things. He always made sure I had common sense and understood what the "real world" was like. When he taught me to drive, he taught me the basics of course, but he also taught me what to do if I hydroplaned, or if my tire blew. He taught me always be smart, and look out for myself. I've found myself in situations more than once where I heard his voice telling me what to do. I'm truly blessed to have a father that was so present and so loving in my life. I can't imagine how I would've turned out without my dad. It's been about 4 years now since he met my step mom, Kathy. I'll admit at first things were rocky between us. I've never been good at sharing my dad, but since then I've grown to love my step mom. She's difficult at times, and hard headed, but she always has my best interest at heart. There are times that I really resented her tough love, but as I get older I realize that she never did it to hurt me. She just wanted me to appreciate what I had, and to be responsible. That was hard for me, especially considering that my dad had always spoiled me, and just given me what I wanted. I'm thankful now that she cared enough about me to be "the bad guy" when I needed a stern voice. She helped me learn to spread my wings as an adult, and rely more and more on myself. I love spending time with the two of them. Few things feed my soul like sitting around my dad's big dinner table to an amazing meal with my family. There are times we've sat around that table for hours just talking and laughing. That's what family is all about.

 Let's move on to my Momma! She's the fun one! Days spent at her house are typically finger foods all day long while we lay around watching movies and laughing, or playing video games together. I love having my "girl time" with my mom. We'll spend the whole day shopping, and then go back to her house and pamper ourselves. My mom has been a big part of my life [obviously]. She taught me to be nurturing. She has a million little tricks to cure what ails you. I remember the first time I ever had cramps, I felt like someone had punched me in the stomach and I wanted to die. My mom brought me a mason jar filled with hot water, wrapped in a towel to help ease my cramps. I know it sounds weird, but it was exactly what I needed. Just enough heat, with just enough weight, I felt better in no time. [Who thinks of that?!] She's quirky and a little bit out there sometimes, but that's why we all love her! I want to say it's been about 2 years now since she met my step dad, Ray. There was never an awkward stage with Ray. He fit right into our crazy family like he'd been there all along. He's good for my mom, and my little brothers. He's a man's man. He can build it, he can fix it, and he can make it look good. He's pretty goofy sometimes, but I suppose we can look past that.

Last, but CERTAINLY not least, is my in-laws. Lenice and Randel, my Mom-in-law, and Dad-in-law. Unfortunately my father-in-law is more than a little camera shy. He's like bigfoot, you can't catch him on film! But he's awesome. He's the "know it all", especially when it comes to living healthy. He'd cringe if he really knew how much sweet tea I drink. He's also our financial guru. I've spent many hours in his office just trying to absorb all of the knowledge he's throwing at me [literally, throwing. you'd better take notes, he doesn't slow down] He's a great father to my husband, and to me. Now Lenice [or Le-niece, for those of you wondering how that's pronounced] She's technically my "step" mom-in-law, but I'm as close with her as I am my own mom. Not many days go by that I don't talk to her. She's always got great advice, and she's always willing to listen. [Even when I'm so mad I can't see straight and she gets yelled at for 20 mins.] She's my "check out what I found on pinterest" experiment buddy. We've tested quite a few pinterest recipes [mostly desserts]. Randel never eats them. [He's all health conscious and what-not] [[he WILL however put a hurtin on some brownies.. go figure]] I actually lived with Lenice and Randel the year that my husband was in Iraq. They were my rock when my family couldn't be there. Lenice kept me occupied, and well fed ;). and I could never really repay them for everything they've done for me. I love them just like they're my own parents, and they love me like their own daughter. ---Oh and side note; the LOVELY woman you see pictured with Lenice is one of her gorgeous daughters [my sister-in-law] Leslie. :) She's pretty great too, but this is about my parents, so you'll have to learn about her later :)

Day 3: Favorite picture of your best friend

Hmm.. My BEST friend you say?? Well, I actually have a few.

       Amy left us on Nov. 3rd 2008, and the world is better for having her, but will never be the same without her. Amy was the kind of girl that you just WANTED to be friends with. She was ALWAYS laughing, she always looked amazing, and she never let anything bring her down. She once told me that she woke up in the morning and simply decided to have a good day, and it was, because she decided it would be. She lived ninety to nothing and you either ran with her, or she left you in her dust. She was ripped away from us for one small mistake on a horrible night; that changed my life forever. I was with Amy when we wrecked her truck, and I walked away, while my best friend lay in a rut, bruised and broken. Even as hurt as she was, the first words out of her mouth were "I'm sorry" and "Is everyone ok?" that was just Amy, she never put herself. Not even when she became an organ donor, giving her heart to a 12 year old little girl in need was her last gift. Like I said, she truly was amazing. A borrowed angel, that heaven needed back.

       Carissa [on the left] is my newest friend, but quickly becoming my closest. She's AWESOME! ... No, really awesome. I wouldn't say that I want to BE her [:P] but she deffinately pushes me to be a better person [or should I say she inspires me]. We have LOADS of fun together, and I am beyond excited to see where our friendship will lead!

       Oh the bestie! Carisa and I have known each other since 6th grade. We've always been friends, but it wasn't until college that we really became sisters. We've been through a lot together. She's had my back, been my shoulder to cry on, and my ever reliable coffee buddy when I just need to vent. The most random things always happen when we're together. For instance, we once passed a woman driving 30 mph on the interstate with a car FULL [when I say full I mean, barely enough room for her] of cantaloupes.. let me try and paint a picture for you. If this woman were to do the head bob from "Night at the Roxbury's" she would headbutt a cantaloupe.. THAT'S the extent to which her car was loaded down.. I'm getting sidetracked.. Carisa is the only person I have burst out into random song in front of and she jumped right in and finished my song "High School Musical" style. We really are the same person..

       I love these girls more than they probably know, and you'll more than likely be hearing about them more often in my blog! As for me, I'm gonna get on out of here! See ya later!

Best EVER Apple Cobbler

Hi again! Before we get started, you NEED to check out my Spiced Apple Recipe. Seriously. Those apples are absolutely ESSENTIAL to the success of this recipe. Go, I'll wait.

Now that you've made your apples, we can start!

Best EVER Apple Cobbler!

Seriously.

You'll want to start out by getting all of your things together. 

You'll need:

 3/4c. Milk + 1/4c. Syrup from Apples

1c. Self rising flour

1c. Sugar

1/2c. Butter

1T. Vanilla

1t. Cinnamon

1c. Spiced Apples (or more for taste)

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees

 

I know in the picture I said 1 cup of milk, which is fine, but that's not actually how I do it. When I make MY cobbler I actually use 3/4c. of milk, and 1/4c. of syrup from the apples. Trust me, it's better this way. With that said, Melt the butter in the pan, meanwhile, mix together Flour, sugar, vanilla, milk, syrup, and cinnamon, in a separate bowl. Pour the batter over the butter, but DON'T STIR IT!

Carefully place your apple slices, trying not mix the batter and butter. If you mix the, it will still cook just fine, but the edges will have a much better crisp if you allow the butter to float to the top

Bake at 350 degrees for 30-45 minutes or until golden brown

 Once it's cool, slice yourself a piece and ENJOY!

OMG I could get fat eating this stuff! It's sooo super yummy! I like my cobbler to be a little more on the cakey side, but if you like yours a little more runny, just add more of that AWESOME syrup from your spiced apples. 

And as always, here's the quick version:

 

You'll need:

 3/4c. Milk + 1/4c. Syrup from Apples

1c. Self rising flour

1c. Sugar

1/2c. Butter

1T. Vanilla

1t. Cinnamon

1c. Spiced Apples (or more for taste)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Melt butter in your pan (I just thrown mine in the oven while it's heating)
3. In a separate bowl mix together Milk, Syrup, Flour, Sugar, Cinnamon, and vanilla.
4. Pour batter over melted butter DO NOT MIX.
5. Add apple slices one at a time, taking care not to mix the batter and butter.
6. Bake at 350 for 30-45 minutes or until golden brown
7. ENJOY!

Spiced Apples

Hey! Ok, so I 'meant' to post this yesterday.. BUT I got a little side tracked.. one thing led to another, and now it's today... -_- oh well! Here it is!

This is seriously one of my FAVORITE recipes! In fact I had a small bowl of these with my dinner last night.. SO YUMMY! Now, before we start I'd like to clear up a few bloopers I made during the making of this post (hey! I'm still new at this remember?!) Number 1: I completely forgot to include the sugar in the class photo -_- Don't forget to add him to the pot! and Number 2: I ended up not using the pumpkin pie spice. It sounded good when I was planning this.. but when game time got here, I decided he'd be better on the bench. You can use him, maybe he'll turn out to be the star. Who knows?
AND let's begin!

Spiced apples

[Better than Cracker Barrel]

 

You'll want to start out by getting all of your things together. 

You'll need:

1/2c. Butter or Margarine (Butter is ALWAYS better, but I was out -_-)

1 1/2c. Sugar (Sorry I left it out of the picture!)

8 Apples (Any kind)

1/2t. Ground Cinnamon

1/2t. Ground Nutmeg

1t. Vanilla

1/2t. Pumpkin Pie Spice (optional)

Slice, Peel, and Core all of your apples.. 

 Meanwhile:

 Melt Butter in a medium pot.

 Add Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Vanilla, and Pumpkin Pie Spice (if you're using it)

Stir until blended.

Bring to a boil and toss in the Apples and Sugar

Stir to coat.

Cook on medium heat 15-20 minutes or until Apples become tender.

 And Enjoy :)

And.. here's the quick version :

1/2c. Butter or Margarine

1 1/2c. Sugar 

8 Apples (Any kind)

1/2t. Ground Cinnamon

1/2t. Ground Nutmeg

1t. Vanilla

1/2t. Pumpkin Pie Spice (optional)

 

1. Place butter and spices in a large to medium pot (depending on the size of your apples) on medium-low heat. While the butter is melting Peel, Core, and Slice all of your apples.
2. Bring pot to a boil and stir in apple slices and sugar, fully coat apple slices.
3. Reduce to medium heat and cook uncovered for 15-20 minutes or until apple slices become tender
4. ENJOY!