Tackle it Tuesday

Yesterday was a day off for my sweet hubby. And he spent nearly the entire day hanging curtains and pictures for me. And today I get to show you our guest room for Tackle it Tuesday.
Here is is before:

It certainly didn't happen in one day, but it did get done.

The decor in this room is my favorite! At our house in Kansas we had a basement and a family room. And we decorated the room in a "log cabin" feel. Kevin even built a log cabin wall. It was so cool. We were so sad to have to leave that house. I kept the knick knacks and things and we now use it for our guest room. But one of these days I plan to change my living room into this rustic look as well.
Thanks for visiting!
~Angel

Answered Prayer

I am SO happy to report that we have a contract on our house!
We got the call yesterday from our realtor and signed the offer and sent it back. Closing is set for around October 10.
Praise God!!!
~Angel

Menu Monday!

Time for my 3rd Menu Monday!

Monday

BBQ Meatballs*

Stuffing

Green beans

Tuesday
Potato Soup
Cornbread

Wednesday
Chicken Strip Wraps
Crockpot Mac n Cheese*

Thursday
Chili Mac (HH)
Rolls

Friday

Chicken Quesadillas
Mexican Rice

Saturday
Grilled Steak
Grilled Potatoes
Veggies

Sunday
Grilled Pork Chops
Oven Baked Potatoes
Grilled Green Beans

* New Recipe

Notes on Last Week- Even though we didn't do the Family Favorites, we did really well at sticking to our menu except for Saturday. I should have known better than to put something on the weekend menu that wasn't for the grill. We ended up grilling a pork loin instead of having spaghetti.

We have 2 new recipes this week. If the meatballs turn out to be good, we'll make those when the kids are here for Christmas. Brian really likes meatball subs. :-)

Thanks for visiting!
~Angel

Halloween Jokes for Zach!

What is a

mummy's

favorite type

of music?

RAP music!

Why didn't

the

skeleton

go to the dance?

He had noBODY to go with.

My Husband Rocks

ANOTHER weekly feature?
Yep!
When I first saw the idea of "My Husband Rocks" on The Great Adventure, I couldn't wait to participate because my husband DOES rock!
We have been married nearly 23 years and it just keeps getting better!
Yes, there were a few rocky times and rough patches, but I am most certain those days are behind us.

Our children are grown ups! The youngest is 17. It's amazing. I am not sure where the time went!
But, Kevin and I are closer than we've ever been and I'm looking forward to the next 23 years!

My Husband Rocks! AND he looks awesome in uniform!
~Angel

Oh, I almost forgot to mention, The Great Adventure is having a blog giveaway! You can win some great prizes for telling us how your hubby rocks!

Thankful Thursday

I am so thankful for a place to call home. There are many people without a home. It could so easily be me. But God brought us to where we are and He shows Himself to us on a regular basis in this place we call home.
~Angel

Christmas is Coming!

I learned about 100 Days to Christmas from my friend Peggy. They issue a challenge each day to help you prepare for the holiday and give tips as well. There are even daily giveaways. Check it out!
Oh and today's challenge was to make your Christmas card list. I've started mine! How about you?

~Angel

Wordless Wednesday

Punctuation Day!

Don't forget your punctuation!!!

Tackle it Tuesday

We did a lot of work on the house over the weekend. Kevin worked in the garage and he hung some pictures for me. He does such a great job at hanging things....uses his measuring tape and level and everything. I will wait and wait for him to hang things rather than do it myself. And so I have waited! But this last weekend he hung about half my pictures and he promised that he would finish this coming weekend.

Yesterday I had an MRI appointment. I haven't had an MRI on my back since the pain began so I am looking forward to finding out what the new MRI shows. Kevin came to the appointment as well to show support. He is such a wonderful husband. On the way home, he suggested we stop at a furniture store to see what they had for a kitchen table. We've been using a folding card table in the kitchen! We've never had a dining room AND a breakfast nook and our dining room table was too big for the kitchen. Kevin wanted a counter height table so we could see over the deck rail when we're eating. We love to watch the wildlife! We found the table finally and a great price so we brought it home last night and Kevin put it together.

See the folding chair? And so.....today's Tackle it Tuesday features my kitchen! Please excuse the pictures. My camera thinks there is plenty of light due to that enormous picture window. I haven't figured out how to tell it to flash anyway!

All clean and a new table. Yeah! I will see if I can get a better picture when the sun goes down! Oh and you can't see it in the picture, but I have a little bookshelf next to the other window and it holds my cookbooks. :-)
Have a great Tuesday!
~Angel

Menu Monday!

Time for my weekly menu! I actually make up about 3-4 weeks of menus ahead of time as I find the task not one of my favorites! Just as easy to sit down and think up 3 weeks as it is one! I also have a couple of days of the week that I pick a topic for such as Soupy Tuesdays and Mexican on Fridays! It's easier for me to think of a Mexican dish or a soup!

Monday
Pigs in a Blanket
Stuffing

Veggies

Tuesday

Tomato Soup
Grilled Cheese

Wednesday
Cheesy Ranch Burger (HH)
Corn

Thursday
Bagel Pizzas
Chips

Friday
Chicken Fajitas

Rice

Saturday
Spaghetti
Bread Sticks

Sunday
Grilled Teriyaki Chicken
Rice

Notes on last week: We didn't exactly stick to our menu as I found a great deal at the commissary on Rib-Eyes so we grilled steak last night. In fact I think we grilled out 4 days last week! It was so pretty outside. I did try the new Crock pot stew recipe. We had it over rice and I give it a thumbs up! (I did add 2/3 can of water and cooked on low for the most part.)
No new recipes this week. Instead I have 2 new dishes on next week's menu!

Have a great week!
~Angel

Happy World Gratitude Day!

Banana Jokes 4 Zach

What do you call a zipper on a banana?

A fruit fly.

Why did the banana go to the doctor?

He was not peeling well.

Have a Fabulous Weekend!

~Angel

Happy "Talk Like a Pirate Day"!

Arghh... and here be more info me got online for ye to help you be speakin like a right good pirate!

Pirates never say anything in an ordinary way. Everything is always better and bolder when talking like a pirate!! Here's some clues:

~Double up on all your adjectives and you'll be bountifully bombastic with your phrasing. Pirates never speak of "a big ship", they call it a "great, grand ship!" They never say never, they say "No nay ne'er!"
~Drop all your "g"'s when you speak and you'll get words like "rowin'", "sailin'" and "fightin'". ~Dropping all of your "v"'s will get you words like "ne'er", "e'er" and "o'er".
~Instead of saying "I am", sailors say, "I be". Instead of saying "You are", sailors say, "You be". ~Instead of saying, "They are", sailors say, "They be". Ne'er speak in anythin' but the present tense!
~If it be helpin', start yer sentence wi' a "Arr, me hearty," in a deep, throaty voice — ye'll find that the rest be comin' much easier.

Ahoy: Hey!
Arrr: Yes, I agree, I'm happy
Avast: Stop!
Aye: Yes
Bilge Rat: an insult
Black spot: to be 'placin' the black spot' be markin' someone for death. As in Treasure Island.
Booty: treasure
Bung hole – Food on a ship were stored in wooden casks. The stopper in the barrel is called the bung, and the hole is called the bung hole.
Buccanneer: a pirate who be answerin' to no man or blasted government.
By the Powers!: an exclamation, uttered by Long John Silver in Treasure Island!
Cat o' nine tails: whip for floggin' mutineers
Corsair: a pirate who be makin' his berth in the Med-...Medi-...that sea 'tween Spain and Africa, aye!
Davy Jones' Locker: the bottom o' the sea, where the souls of dead men lie
Doubloons: pieces of gold...
Fiddlers Green: the private heaven where pirates be goin' when they die.
Furner: a ship which be yer own, not one ye steal an' plunder.
Gentlemen o' fortune: a slightly more positive term fer pirates!
Go on the account: to embark on a piratical cruise
Grog: A pirate's favorite drink.
Hornpipe: Both a single-reeded musical instrument sailors often had aboard ship, and a spirited dance that sailors do.
Jack: a flag or a sailor
Jolly Roger: the skull and crossbones, the pirate flag!
Keelhaul: a truly vicious punishment where a scurvy dog be tied to a rope and dragged along the barnacle-encrusted bottom of a ship. They not be survivin' this.
Landlubber: "Land-lover," someone not used to life onboard a ship.
Lass: A woman.
Lily-livered: faint o' heart
Loaded to the Gunwales (pron. gunnels): drunk
Matey: A shipmate or a friend.
Me Beauty: A lovely lady
Me hearty: a friend or shipmate.
Me: My.
Pieces o' eight: pieces o' silver which can be cut into eights to be givin' small change.
Privateer: a pirate officially sanctioned by a national power
Scallywag: A bad person. A scoundrel.
Scurvy dog!: another fine insult!
Shiver me timbers!: an exclamation of surprise, to be shouted most loud.
Smartly: do something quickly.
Son of a Biscuit Eater: a derogatory term indicating a son of a sailor
Sprogs: raw, untrained recruits
Squadron: a group of ten or less warships
Squiffy: a buffoon
Swaggy: a scurvy cur's ship what ye be intendin' to loot!
Swashbucklin': fightin' and carousin' on the high seas!
Sweet trade: the career of piracy
Thar: The opposite of "here."
Walk the plank: this one be obvious.
Wench: a lady, although ye gents not be wantin' to use this around a lady who be stronger than ye.
Wi' a wannion: wi' a curse, or wi' a vengeance. Boldly, loudly!
Yo-ho-ho: Pirate laughter

Powerful

Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.
Philippians 4:8

Wordless Wednesday

Tackle it Tuesday

Once again I am following my BFF Peggy in a weekly feature. Today is "Tackle it Tuesday" and the concept is to tackle a project (of any kind) taking before and after pictures and posting it on your blog. Since I have a LOT of projects to tackle it only makes sense to make it blogable.

Today I decided it was past time to repot my plants. Here was the before picture:

Right after I started digging in to the first plant, I realized I did not have a big enough planter for it. The roots were filling the pot it was in and it needed a lot more room and not the little more room I was planning to give it. So, I got into my car and drove to Dollar General which is very close to our house. They had already clearanced their lawn and garden stuff so I went a little further down the road to Family Dollar where I got a couple of large planters and some more potting soil.

I tried to separate one of the plants.

I hope they make it.

Can you believe ALL of these plants except for the one on the far right came in that littlest yellow and blue pot? It was a Thank You gift from Peggy after the twins were born. I usually don't have luck with plants, but these ones must be hardy! They have survived over a year and grown considerably!
Thanks for Visiting!
~Angel

Convicting....

I read this today and it was so good (and SO convicting), I had to share.

"Therefore I, a prisoner for serving the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of
your calling, for you have been called by God. Be humble and gentle. Be
patient with each other making allowance for each other's faults because of your
love. Always keep yourselves united and bind yourselves together in
peace."
Ephesians 4:1-3

Blessings!
~Angel

For Zach

Why didn't the skeleton cross the road?








(He didn't have the guts!)

New Title

I want to thank my sweet friend Shelley for helping me name this site. She emailed me this suggestion today-

Through Angel Eyes

and I loved it right away.
There were other great suggestions, but this one was exactly what I was looking for!

Thank you, Shelley!
~Angel

Menu Monday!

Anyone who knows me or has been to my house knows that they're likely to find a menu on the side of my refrigerator. I've done this off and on (mostly on) for over 20 years! It takes a bit of time, but I usually look through my cupboards and find out what I've got to work with and plan a menu and make a grocery list. I also clip coupons (with my wonderful daughter's help!) and have found these tasks combined to be a HUGE money saving routine!
So, when I saw that my BFF Peggy had joined a group (orgjunkie.com) that among other things promotes menu planning I thought it would be something I'd like to do as well. So, you'll hopefully see Menu Monday as a weekly feature here. I'll try to add a recipe to the post as well. New recipes are something I love to sample and by doing so have found some delicious family favorites.
Here we go!

Monday~
Brocolli & Cheese Casserole
(Since it's just me 'n KT)

Tuesday~
Crockpot Stew
A new one for us!
I saw it on one of my favorite stamping blogs!

Wednesday~
Grilled Sausage (hot dogs for Katie)

Grilled Potatoes and Veggies
We like to cook the whole meal on the grill....easier Clean-up!

Thursday~

Fettucini Alfredo w/ Chicken

(Chicken Helper)

Friday~

Tacos
Mexican Rice

Refried Beans

Saturday~

Grilled Pork Loin
Pasta
Grilled Green Beans

Sunday~
Grilled Cheeseburgers
Baked Potatoes
Corn

You can tell- we love to grill (with charcoal!) and take advantage of it as long as the weather holds out.

That's all for me today! Hope you're having a fabulous Monday!

~Angel

ETA~
Karla asked about the grilled veggies....

My answer: I started doing this so I didn't have to cook ANYTHING in the house when Kevin was grilling. I open up a can of green beans (we like them so much I usually use 2) and drain. Then I dump about 1/2 the can on a square of aluminum foil, add 2-3 pats (generous pats) of butter and some seasoning (salt, pepper and a little garlic salt) and then fold in the edges of the foil making a packet. I end up with 3-4 packets. Kevin grills it over the heat directly for about 10-15 minutes on each side and then puts them on the upper rack while he cooks the meat.... same thing for the potatoes. We use fresh potatoes occasionally chopped into bite sized pieces or else frozen hasbrowns adding onion and green pepper when we have it. Same foil packet. Best thing about it is NO DISHES!

Another Favorite!

I started this weekly feature on my stamping blog, but will continue it here. Each week I'll be telling you about one of my favorite things.

One of my very favorite things?

My GPS!

{We named her Ginger.}

Before we moved to South Carolina I purchased this Garmen Nuvi. I found an awesome deal at Office Depot and I took my ad to WalMart and they priced matched it for me. I know there are many GPS units on the market today, but this simple little Nuvi works great for me. I love it! We've really gotten a lot of use out of it finding houses and businesses in this new city.
The other day I was out and didn't have the phone number to Katie's school and needed to call. I looked up schools in the community section of my GPS menu and it found the school for me and listed the phone number! Handy Dandy!
Kevin is taking it with him today on his short trip to Georgia. I am sure it will be useful for him.
If you've been considering the purchase of a GPS, I highly recommend it!
~Angel
P.S. If you have questions about the Garmen, just let me know!

Prayer Request

It's a sad day in my husband's squadron. One of his troops shot himself in the head a week ago. For a while it looked like he might pull through. A cat scan even showed brain activity. But, sadly he passed away this morning.
It looks like Kevin will be escorting the body to this airman's home state this weekend. He leaves behind a wife and a 3 year old son. I can't imagine their pain and confusion. To protect their privacy I won't mention their names. But,will you please say a prayer for this family?
Thank you.

Angel

New Rug

I really like the house we are renting and hope to have more pictures to share soon. One thing we knew we wanted to get was an area rug to put in the living room. The laminate wood floors are nice, but a rug makes it look a lot more cozy. We've looked at Walmart and Lowes and places like that, but haven't seen anything in our price range that we liked. Kevin found a wholesale carpet store in the area and we went to see what they had today. I found a few that I liked. But, I settled on this 5'x8' leaf patterned rug as I think it will transition well when we get new furniture somewhere down the road.

Isn't it pretty? And it was very reasonable. Cheaper than anything we saw anywhere else and on top of that a military discount! Yeah!
Have a blessed day!
~Angel

Naming this Site!

I've decided to separate the blog of my stamping from my personal journey.

Now, I need your help in creating a name!
Words I've thought of:

Angel

Blessed

Blessings
Journey
Road
Time
Help me think of a name?
~Angel

I've got Angel's Hope as the title right now, but I'm not sold on it. :-)