as a child we picture what our grown up life will be like. we pick our grown up job. our future home. 

maybe even our future car. I always wanted to be a veterinarian and save as many animals as possible. my house was a mansion, with scrolling stair cases and a large library. and of course filled with cats, lots of cats. i would live close to all my friends and we would always go swimming my mansions pool. i would marry prince charming and life would be good.

now as an adult, I find myself picturing my childhood. now all these things are not make believe like how i would picture my life as a nine year old. I have been day dreaming of my how blissful and how quickly my childhood passed me by.
the wind is whipping through my long blonde hair as i run through the fields behind my house with my cousin close behind. we were playing cat woman (me,of course) and poison ivy, our version of cops and robbers. we were the good guys, and my family dog, Rolly, was the "evil" villain that locked up Batman. we could play for hours never tiring in the sun with the weeds crashing around us. or of how my younger sisters and I would play mermaids in our pool. and the big blow up shamu was the crazy monster trying to attack us.

another memory, of us girls (my sisters and mom) crowding around the dining room table smearing frosting and sprinkles on freshly made sugar cookies. trying to see how much we could actually put on the cookie without it breaking apart. and when no one was looking licking the frosting spoons... no one did that of course (Kelsey)... leaving the most beautiful creations out for Santa clause. then Christmas day waking each other up before the sun has taken its first breath across the horizon. tip toeing into our parents room and begging them to come and let us open our presents.

many family trips. many sleep overs with friends. many softball games and cheer-leading competitions.
so many memories. being a child was so easy as I look back.
i had a loving family. parents that taught me right from wrong.
coming into adulthood and seeing that i was fortunate to have what i did back then.
i work hard now for what i have and am proud for how much i have become a woman of christ.
i did marry my prince charming, and do not quite have a house full of cats.
but i am proud and happy with where i am at in my life.
life in general is hard, but my loving husband and family and all the memories we have made together has definitely made it bearable.
love you all. 

I am going to share some of my favorite things today.. and then some.. I love to light candles after a long day from work or pretty much any day ( the ones that smell like a vanilla cupcake or pumpkin spice are my favorite) .. Then I plug in my Iphone to its charging dock and put on Pandora and listen to Mumford and Sons.. I have been loving the bluegrass and folkie tunes, it calms my soul.. once I get that playing, I cook dinner. I love to be able to prepare delicious meals for my husband. I will confess that not all of my dishes have been edible but he still eats them with a smile.

on that note

Listen up cats and kittens, I have come across some amazing recipes (thanks to Pinterest) that I have been dieing to share. since this new fandangled web site, that has a modge podge of everything that I could ever think of, my life has been forever changed.. Well my "cookbook" of recipes I have printed off has changed at least. so i hope you all enjoy these recipes as much as I did ( and my husband)...

I think the one thing I love most about this recipe is that you don't use any cream of anything in it so it seems "healthy"..

Cheesy Chicken and Wild Rice Casserole

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 medium onion, finely diced

3 stalks of celery, finely diced

3 carrots, peeled and finely diced

2 tablespoons fresh minced garlic

2 cups shredded chicken (cooked)-I cook mine in a pot of boiling water til cooked through

2 cups white rice (cooked)

16 oz prepared wild rice

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/4 teaspoon garlic salt

 

cheese sauce:

4 tablespoons butter

1/4 cup of all purpose flour 

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

2 cups chicken broth

2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese

 

top with 1 1/2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:

 

1. preheat oven to 350 degrees F. heat oil into a medium dutch oven or pot over medium heat. Saute celery, onion, and carrots until softened, about 10 minutes. stir in garlic and cook for 1 minute. stir in chicken, both rices,salt, pepper, and garlic salt. reduce heat to low.

2. To prepare cheese sauce melt butter into a medium saucepan over medium high heat. whisk in flour, salt and pepper then slowly pour in chicken broth whisking continuously. whisk until thick and nearly boiling then stir in cheese until melted. pour cheese into rice mixture then transfer to a 9x13 baking dish. top with additional cheddar cheese and bake for 25-30 minutes or until cheese is melted through. serve.

this might seem like alot of steps along with many ingredients, but believe me it is well worth it..

here is my next recipe that I found  (thank you Pinterest), this one is much easier to prepare, and its in a crockpot ( another one of my favorite things)...

Slow Cooker Salsa Chicken:

1 pound of boneless skinless chicken breasts

1 can of cream of chicken soup

1 cup salsa

1 package of taco seasoning mix

1 cup sour cream

for serving (optional)-I added black beans and shredded cheddar cheese

directions:

put chicken (mine was frozen), soup, and salsa in cooker. sprinkle taco seasoning over everything. cook on low for 6 hours. if shredding chicken, pull out breasts and shred; return to slow cooker. stir in sour cream and heat just until everything is combined. 

I ate mine of tortilla chips and my husband rolled his up in a tortilla. both ways delicious.

I am not always going to post recipes but thought I would share some things that have my mouth watering just thinking about them.. also if you haven't noticed another of my favorite things is cheese.. pretty much all my dishes have cheese included in them.

Enjoy.