Weird Things My Cats Do

As we all know, cats are strange and independent creatures. They can become the most loving companions, they can be lazy bums that don't do anything, or they can be ornery assholes that pitch temper tantrums when they don't get their way. My cats are all of these things tightly wound in cute furry bodies.

Blue Circles Afghan

Source

When Philip and I were in Georgia for Christmas, one of the gifts I received from my grandparents was a bunch of yarn, a crochet hook, and a book of patterns. Grandmommy and Mom had picked one out for me to try. I finally got in the mood to start this rather large project las week. The pattern (picture to the right) calls for four colors and I only have three, so I adjusted the color pattern to suit the colors I have.

You can buy the pattern here. You can buy the complete patter book here. It's from 1991, but the patterns are still nice.

Easy Breakfast, Because He Gets Up Earlier Than Me

Philip gets up at 4:00 am every day to get ready for work. Even when I was working I never got up that early. He actually likes working those hours, as it gives him more time at home when I'm awake, and during the summer, he's home with plenty of sunlight left to play in. And he's taking good care of me and the CCC (crazy cat crew).

I get to make him lunch and dinner, but he fends for himself in the mornings. He usually has cereal, pop tarts, or his gross version of oatmeal. I've gotten him to eat much better since moving here, and breakfast should be included in that. So I found a way to pre-make eggs so he can heat them up in biscuit with cheese to make a more satisfying morning meal.

Step 1: Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Step 2: Spray a muffin tin with butter flavor cooking spray. You can use other flavors, but the butter is the best.

Step 3: Crack one egg in each cup. You can either leave it whole, or take a fork and scramble them in the cup.

Pro Tip: Save your egg shells to put down your garbage disposal. It helps to clean the blades and keep them sharp.

Step 4: Salt and Pepper to taste. Then sprinkle cheese on top.

Step 5: Bake for about 12-15 mins.

Step 6: Let cool and store in a container in the refrigerator.

Step 7: Your oven should still be on at 350 degrees.

Step 8: Bake your biscuits for the time indicated on your package. Or until golden brown.

Step 9: Let cool and store in a container or baggie. These can be stored at room temp or in the refrigerator.

In the mornings, he heats up the egg, places in the middle of the biscuit with a slice of cheese. Easy peasy.
You can also get microwaveable bacon and/or sausage to add to your breakfast sandwiches.

The Ups and Downs of Pinterest Crafts

Sunday's are grocery shopping days. Most of the time we go down to the lake and shop at Hy-Vee as they have a better selection, lower prices, and a fuel point system that saves us money on gas as well. So while we are down there, we sometimes go to other stores that are not in our small town. This week, we went to Lowe's and JoAnn's.

My Proverbial Marriage Clock Is Ticking

Once again, I went browsing The Bert Show's website and listening to old segments that I've missed since moving to Missouri. What can I say? I love the show and it gives me great material to write about.

This time, I came across a bit about marriage. Bert, the host of the show, believes that no one should get married before the age of 30. He's been stressing this for as long as I've been listening and his argument was pretty sound, especially by adding in his experiences with is own marriage. In a letter for HLN, Bert explains his view along with some recently found and surprising statistics that support his view.

All of Me

Sometimes in life, especially as a woman, a wave of emotion can hit you so unexpectedly that it literally takes your breath away. Anything can trigger it, but this time, it's a song. As your heart stops and you brace yourself on the walls of your shower gasping, you just let the emotion take over. Like the water, it washes over you, seeping deep down to your core. Something awakens in you, even though you thought you already knew, now you know for sure and it's more real than you could ever imagine. Tears blend uncontrollably with the water dripping down your face and you soak in every word, every note with understanding and truth.

Scrumptious and Easy Corn Casserole

Every family holiday would not be complete with my Grandmommy's corn casserole. This past year we spent Thanksgiving here in Missouri with Philip's parents and we went to Georgia for Christmas with my family. Of course I had a to make Thanksgiving perfect, so I called Grandmommy and got her corn casserole recipe.

Ingredients:

1 can sweet corn
1 can cream-style corn
1 box Jiffy corn muffin mix
1 stick of butter
8oz sour cream
Non-Stick baking spray

Tools:

1 large mixing bowl
Spoon
Baking dish
Aluminum foil

Step 1: Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

Step 2: Soften one stick of butter/margarine in your bowl. (I use the microwave because the cats will try to lick it if I leave it out.)

Step 3: Mix in the sour cream, drained sweet corn,  cream corn,  Jiffy mix, until well blended.

Step 4: Pour the mix into a greased baking dish and cover with aluminum foil.

Step 5: Bake for 45 mins - 1 hr or until the casserole center is firm.

Step 6: Remove the foil, and bake for an additional 5 mins to brown the top a smidge.


After Thanksgiving, Hubs has asked for this several times. For a while I was corn casseroled out! But, it's great is this dish lasts for a couple of days when I make it for every day meals.

The ABC's of Me

I've seen a few of these type posts around lately, but I stole this one from Kristi over at Melbourne on my Mind. I discovered Kristi's blog while following links through numerous blogs from 20 Something Bloggers and quickly became a follower.

Anywho, here it goes.


Age: 27

Bed: Queen sized with a memory foam mattress topper that basically hugs you when you lie down and a luscious feather down comforter. We have just enough space to spread out on our own when we aren't curled around each other.

Chore you hate: Putting away the clean laundry or clean dishes. I don't mind doing them because I don't like dirty things, but I have laziness issues when it comes time to put them away.

Dogs: I like dogs and have had a few in my life, but I am really a cat person.

Essential start to your day: Breakfast. It's my favorite meal.

Favorite color: Purple. Nearly any shade, but I tend to lean towards the lighter shades.

Gold or silver: Definitely silver. I've never liked the look of gold on my skin, unless it's white gold.

Height: 5'6"

Instruments you play: Flute, piccolo, Bass Clarinet, and a little bit of Piano. I haven't played in years, and the only one I actually own now is my flute, but it's packed away in storage.

Job title: Unintentional House Girlfriend

Kids: Maybe one day. My mom wants me to have a little girl, and that would be totally fine with me IF I have a child. And IF I have a child it will be an ONLY child. I don't really like kids, especially the ones who's parents think they are angels when in all reality they are annoying little shits who destroy everything in sight. (Don't worry, Philip and I have already talked about this and he's on board with possibly only having one kid.)

Live: A flat wasteland of farms and trees and nothingness called mid-Missouri.

Mom's name: Melanie

Nickname: Manda. Manna. Mander. I hate when people call my Mandy, the only exception being my grandmother because I don't have the heart to tell her I hate it.

Overnight hospital stay: It wasn't for me. I stayed at the hospital with my, then, best friend while she was in labor with her first child. We are no longer friends. Why not? I'm not entirely sure, but I have my theories.

Pet peeve: Wet towels on the floor, bed, or anywhere other than the hook in the bathroom or the dirty laundry basket.

Quote from a book or movie: "You must know... surely, you must know it was all for you. You are too generous to trifle with me. I believe you spoke with my aunt last night, and it has taught me to hope as I'd scarcely allowed myself before. If your feelings are still what they were last April, tell me so at once. My affections and wishes have not changed, but one word from you will silence me forever. If, however, your feelings have changed, I will have to tell you: you have bewitched me, body and soul, and I love, I love, I love you. I never wish to be parted from you from this day on."



Righty/Lefty: Righty

Siblings: I am the oldest of six. Three sisters and three brothers. Granted some are half and step siblings, but siblings nonetheless.

Time you wake up: Usually around 8:30am, but I don't get out of bed until 9am or so. Sometimes 10am if I haven't slept well.

Underwear: Cotton and comfortable.

Veggies you dislike: It would be easier to ask me what veggies I do like. I only eat broccoli, green beans, carrots, celery, salad greens (ie, lettuce and baby spinach), corn, and potatoes. The rest is off the menu.

What makes you late: Changing clothes again and again cause I can't decide what to wear.

X-Rays you've had: Teeth. I had braces for years and once to see where my wisdom teeth were.

Yummy food you make: Um. Just read my posts with the "food" label or check my Food board on Pinterest.

Zoo animal: Technically it's not the zoo, it's the aquarium, but beluga whales. I could sit and watch them swim all day. I took this video at the Georgia Aquarium about 4 years ago of the beluga whales exhibit.

It's Official, I'm a 6

Source: thebertshow.com

When I lived in Georgia, I was a faithful listener to The Bert Show on Q100 every morning. I miss it so much as they are not syndicated in a city near me yet, but if they are aired in a city near you I totally recommend you try it out (you can check their listings here). They are also on I Heart Radio, which I listen to now when I get up early enough.

While browsing past shows and having seen twitter posts, I came across an interesting segment (you can view and listen to the segment here) about people dating outside of their "League". Bert, the host of show, admits that his wife is out of his league, which was a perfect segue into a story about Kristin's friend. This friend told her mother about this amazing guy she wanted to date, and her mother promptly told her that this guy was a 10 and she was a 4, and to get a 10, you have to become a 10.

A lot of people are unaware or completely misguided about what league they are in, so The Bert Show has offered to tell you what league you're in if you send in a picture. A couple of weeks ago, I sent in my picture just for shits and giggles. It's taking them a while to sort through all the pictures, and last night I checked in again. I always started with the lowest scores first and work my way up, letting out sighs of relief when I don't find my picture burring in the 1's, 2's, or 3's category.

I know I'm not a stick thin model, but I know I'm not hideous. So I put myself in a 4-6 range, and 6 was totally pushing it. And I when I got the 5's I was thinking that maybe they hadn't gotten to my picture yet. And then I hit the 6's category and BOOM there I was. They think I'm a 6! It was better than I hoped for, and I am elated. What do you think? Did they get it right?

Screenshot from thebertshow.com/whatsyourleague

New Vintage Antique

My mom's new house. She made pendant lights out of
 mason jars! Look, that is a super old whisky decanter with
matching glasses. And check out that butter churn on the
fireplace,it used to be my great-grandmother's. 

My mom and her husband moved into their newly built house just after the new year. It's huge and beautiful. When they decided to sell their old house to build a new one last summer, my mom also decided how she wanted to decorate this new house: Rustic, blue/turquoise, antique, with a bit of country. Conveniently, her sister in-law owns an antique store, so my mom started working there a few days a week to help out, and she got so many great ideas and connections to other stores for access to great items. I'm slightly jealous.

Mini Apple Pie Pastries

I was browsing Pinterest and I came across this recipe from a guest blogger at Immaculate Baking Co.





I decided I could totally pull this off.

My First Time

If you clicked on this post to read about my first time... you know, that first time *wink wink*... then I'm sorry to disappoint you and your nosy self. However, this will be a post about many of my other firsts.

What was your first tweet?
I'm so glad it wasn't "Hey Twitter!" or something stupid like that.

watching the gray day go by
— Amanda Nicole (@meetMandaNicole) March 15, 2009

What was your first Facebook profile pic?
Yes, that is a Lego Darth Vader... and me trying to be sexy in a funny way, I think. It was 2006, I'm not entirely sure.

Do you still talk to your first love?
My first real love, sorta. I won't ignore him if he texts me (which he does from time to time) but I don't seek him out. I don't even think about him until he's brought up or he reaches out to me.

What was your first alcoholic drink?
Probably a sip of my mother's White Zinfandel

What was your first job?
I started babysitting neighborhood kids when I was about 11 or 12, but my first real job was a Little Caesars when I was 17. It was right across the street from my high school. I gained weight working there... *sigh*

What was your first car?
My first car was a blue 1995 Nissan Sentra. It was a piece of crap, but I loved it.

Who was the first person to text you today?
Philip. He sends me a sweet message every morning.

Who was the first person you thought of this morning?
Besides my epic need to urinate, like every morning, I think of Philip, cause the first thing I do is check my phone to see what he sent me (see above).

Who was your first grade teacher?
Ms. Kennedy. I don't remember much about first grade, except having to site at a desk instead of indian style in a circle on the floor.

Where did you go on your first ride on an airplane?
My first flight ever was a nine hour flight to England. I did pretty well; no panic attack for me. Best trip ever though.

Who was your first best friend and do you still talk?
My first best friend was Ashley B. She lived in my neighborhood and we went to school together since 3rd grade. Once, we tried to hook up her dad and my mom (both were single parents at the time), but it didn't go over too well. When I moved in with my dad, I lost touch with all my old friends. We are still friends on Facebook though.

Where was your first sleepover?
Ashley B's house. Since we lived in the same neighborhood, we used to walk to each other's houses.

What was the first thing you did this morning?
Text Philip back.

What was the first concert you ever went to?
The Backstreet Boys. I was hoarse for 3 days afterwards. I was 11. Don't judge me.

What was your first broken bone?
The big toe on my right foot. I took dance when I was little.

What was your first piercing?
My ears. I believe I was 2. I screamed bloody murder and they gave me a lemon lollipop.

What was the first foreign country you've gone to?
England. First and only so far.

What was the first movie you remember seeing?
In theaters was 101 Dalmatians, I think. But the first movie I saw was either Beauty and the Beast or The Wizard of Oz. My mom says I wore out both VHS tapes and she had to buy me new ones.

When was your first detention?
I never got detention. I never got in trouble at school at all to be honest. I was too afraid to.

Who was your first roommate?
In college, her name was Katie. And we did not get along. I switched rooms to be paired up with my friend Samantha for the second semester.

What was the first sport you were involved in?
None. I was never a very sporty or outdoorsy. I wanted to be a cheerleader, but my mom wouldn't let me.

What is the first thing you do when you get home?
When I was working, the first thing I would do is change out of my work clothes.

When was your first kiss?
My first real kiss was my freshman year of high school. I was in marching band, so I stayed after school a few days a week for practice. Chris Anderson asked me out and I was smitten. After practice one night, we had taken a walk around the school, it was a secluded spot, he turned toward me, said something sweet and then kissed me. I remember it was nice, and he tasted like Dr. Pepper. We broke up 3 months later, but became best friends, and still are to this day.

Cheesy Chicken Bacon Wraps For the Win

Sadly the Super Bowl was a big loss for the Broncos. And we ended up turning it off after the half time show, which was amazing. Bruno Mars really delivered a great performance and impressed me. The Jackson 5 and James Brown like dance moves from him and his band were my favorite part.

Despite the disappointing game, we still had some great food! Cause I'm awesome like that. Luckily the Crazy Cat Crew were too distracted to "help" me cook, so I was able to take my time and not worry that my chicken was being stolen.

The Cheesy Chicken Bacon Wrap was the star of the night. I mean, who doesn't like cheese and bacon?

Ingredients:

4 Chicken Tenders (or 2 Chicken Breasts cut in half long ways)
Spices to taste
1 cup Shredded Cheese
4 slices of bacon (or 8 slices if you'd rather fold them in half)
1 can of crescent rolls (8 count)

Tools: 

Skillet or Forman Grill
Cookie sheet
Aluminum Foil
Fork
Knife


Step 1: Preheat the oven to 350

Step 2: Cook your chicken.
I used chicken tenders because they are smaller and easier to work with, and I cooked them on the Foreman grill on medium to high heat with some basic spices.

Step 3: Cut each tender in half.
If you used breasts I would suggest cutting your chicken in quarters or in small enough pieces to fit in the crescent roll.

Step 3: Roll out your crescent roll dough and put shredded cheese on them.
I used Colby Monterrey Jack cheese because it's our favorite, but a cheddar would be good as well.

Step 4: Place a piece of bacon on top of the cheese.
I folded a whole piece in half to fit, or you could cut the bacon pieces in half if you want to make it go farther.

Step 5: Fold the crescent roll around the chicken and place on a pan.
I use aluminum foil instead of greasing a pan, easier clean up that way.
*Optional: Sprinkle more shredded cheese on top of each wrap.

Step 6: Bake for about 12-15 mins or until golden brown and Voila! a tasty, manly, treat! Philip loves these.

What's your favorite game-day recipe?