just sayin'....

reboot.

2011-08-28T15:14:00.000-07:00

This blog has fallen by the wayside. There have been a lot of changes in this family over the past six months and we are finally starting to get back into a routine. In an effort to shake off the old and restart, I've decided on a new name for the blog. I had this long post about why it was first called "Just Makin' It," but I never posted it. Maybe one day I'll share. However, I don't want to be contained into writing about only things we make - I want to feel the freedom to share other things on my heart. So, hopefully I'll be "just sayin'..." a lot in the time to come.

Perfection Does Not Come From Restaurants

2011-01-22T10:20:00.000-08:00

Building the Perfect Buffalo Wings

When I was little the only football team that I could watch was the Atlanta Falcons. However, I never became a fan of them because they always lost when they were supposed to be good. This was supposed to be the year for them and they were seeded No. 1 in the NFC Playoffs. I mistakenly bought into the hype for one night and decided that we should do Buffalo Wings, Chicken Fingers, and French Fries. I will not give an account of the game. I will spare all of you the wasted reading and attempt to teach you the secret to our awesome Buffalo Wings.

Step One: You will need a two paper grocery bags, flour, black pepper, cayenne pepper, kosher salt, and 12 whole chicken wings that have been separated.

Step Two: You need to take one cup of flour, one teaspoon of both peppers, and one teaspoon of kosher salt. Place them in the grocery bags and shake up and down. This is of course after you have cut the wing tips off and properly cut them.

They should not look like this. The little pointy ends of the wings should have been cut off but I got in a hurry.

Step Three: You will need to take the wings out of the bag and place them on a cooling rack with a sheet of wax paper underneath it so you don't get flour all over the counter. They will need to sit out for an hour.

Step Four: Go ahead, grab your package of Hidden Valley Ranch Mix and make it so it can chill in the refrigerator.

Step Five: Let the wings dry out for about an hour; meanwhile, heat up the peanut Oil and get the wings ready to fry. The temperature should be around 335 degrees and not any higher. Drop the wings into the fryer and wait for them to turn golden brown. While the wings are cooking quickly take a cup of Franks Hot Sauce (Original) and one stick of butter and place them in a sauce pan until the butter is melted and the sauce begins to simmer. Add a teaspoon of lemon juice and a teaspoon of dried basil.

Step Six: Pull the wings out of the fryer and place them in a bowl. After they are in the bowl cover them with the sauce and dig right in. Your ranch dressing should be cool and ready to serve. Don't forget it for the faint of heart when it comes to eating Buffalo Wings.

Enjoy all the yummy goodness you are about to receive.

Happy eating.

Recipe by Sunny Anderson.

Book Review #1 - Tandem, by Tracey Bateman

2011-01-17T08:21:00.000-08:00

Yay! A book review! In our house, we love to read. In fact, if you've seen some of our previous posts regarding (ahem!) some new bookshelves or if you've been to my house, you know we have too many books for the space we have. We even check books out of the library to minimize what we have, but nevertheless, we have a lot of books. So, because of my love for reading here we are....a book review!

Have you enjoyed any of the recent vampire fiction available? To be honest, I love good books. Books that inspire and fictional works that are also social commentary. I love for my thoughts and opinions to be challenged and to come away from a book with something. Also, I don't like reading things out of my comfort zone...I know, I know. But I just don't read things about paranormal things. And vampires are paranormal and vampire fiction is definitely out of my comfort zone. As soon as I realized (as I was reading) that this book had several vampires as main characters, I was curious as to how these characters would be woven into a Christian novel. So I begin as both a book reviewer and vampire fiction neophyte. And since this is my first, I'm going to structure it into a few parts for my own sake. I'll give a quick synopsis of the story and then, what I thought was good and what was bad about it. And then a few finishing comments. Sound good?

Tandem, by Missouri author Tracey Bateman, is a departure from the traditional Christian fiction I have previously read. There are two strong female characters introduced to the reader, Amede and Lauryn. The reader is taken through the story from their perspectives alternately. Lauryn McBride is a young woman struggling to find peace in her life as she is busy taking care of her ailing father and run their family estate management and auction business, McBride Auctions. Her father has been diagnosed with Alzheimer's and is rapidly declining, leaving Lauryn to sort through the estate of the mysterious Markus Chisom on her own. Markus was a mysterious character to many of the people in the small town of Abbey Hills and his Victorian home is being auctioned off by McBride Auctions following his fiery death.

Many of the spine-tingling and intense moments of the book take place at the unnerving Chisom home as Lauryn is sorting through the owner's belongings alone. Lauryn has a unique relationship with one of the local deputies and childhood friend, Charley. Lauryn and Charley depend on each other for friendship as they both deal with tragedies in their lives. Lauryn clearly struggles with her family relationship shift as a result of her dad's illness and Charley needs a friend after his sister was mysteriously and viciously murdered the previous year. Lauryn is thrown off-kilter when childhood flame, Billy returns to town. Lauryn is the catalyst for bringing the other main character, Amede, to Abbey Hills.

Amede Dastillion, of New Orleans, is the main vampire character in this novel. She has received a letter from Lauryn regarding some possessions that indicate her long-lost (vampire) sister, Eden, is possibly in Abbey Hills. Upon receiving this news, she leaves the comfort of her home in the Big Easy for a trip to the Ozarks. While staying at the only hotel in Abbey Hills, owned by Charley, Amede's hunger for blood reaches almost intolerable levels because of the presence of her sister Eden. Amede is careful to only hunt for animals, not humans, to satisfy her hunger. She also takes pride in covering her tracks very carefully. Despite her prudence, recent bloody events draw suspicion to her presence in town.

Throw in a nosy paranormal blogger and a handsome out-of-town writer along with the already-mentioned characters and you're in for a good little mystery. I should mention that the lives of all these characters are inextricably tangled. Will Amede be able to find her long-lost sister? What connection do Amede and Eden have to the Chisom house? How in the world can vampires exist in Christian fiction? Read to find out! (I've always wanted to say that)

The GOOD:

The characters and their struggles are relatable to real life. Especially Lauryn. Her struggle with the shift of the parent-child relationship as a result of her father's illness compels the reader to react with compassion and mercy.
It turns into a real page-turner about halfway through. The story is great and really draws the reader in.
There are elements of redemption woven throughout the novel. As a non-Christian, Lauryn experiences redemption firsthand through one of her relationships. One of the vampire characters performs a redemptive act - but you must read to see who it was!
I felt that this book could be useful in opening up a dialog about Christianity with those that do not profess to be believers.

And what I found to be NOT-SO-GOOD:

I am still unsure how I feel about vampires residing in the Christian fiction genre. And I don't know why. I'm comfortable with the fictional idea of vampires - I'm just unsure how they relate to Christianity. I guess I can see that it is a tool to entertain the reader, but... I will chalk this up to something that is something I don't prefer as opposed to something to which I really object.
I felt some of the characters were just caricatures of a person to serve a purpose instead of a fully developed character.
Just to be aware, there are suggestions of alcohol use and cohabitation without marriage (to be fair, these are neither glorified nor vilified)
If you are looking for a book with a strong Christian message, then don't read this book. I would say that compared to other Christian novels I've read, the Christian message of salvation was minimal. While there were elements of the Christian life included, there was none to little mention about the purpose of the salvific acts of Jesus Christ.

So - to SUM IT ALL UP:

If you are interested in vampire lit and are looking for an intriguing mystery, definitely pick this up! While it isn't the best supernatural or paranormal Christian fiction I have ever read, it was a good read (well, once I got about halfway through). When deciding if a book is great, good, or just okay I typically depend on my internal meter of how much the literature provoked my thoughts or inspired me. Some books just don't inspire but they definitely entertain. I would classify this book as one of those that entertains and is not particularly inspiring or life-changing. So, if you are looking for a quick read (think 1 week or less) that provides some entertainment, you should look no further and pick this book up.

To be in compliance with the FCC - I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.

A Snow Day...

2011-01-10T19:56:00.000-08:00

I like snow days. Well, let me clarify - I love snow days when my daughter gets one.

We woke up this morning to at least 6+ inches of snow since early Sunday morning and guess what?

No snow day. Not even a late start.

Even with ice and tons of un-plowed snow, she went to school, on time, this morning.

Truthfully, I was a little bummed because I really enjoy those times with my daughter that are unexpected and I was hoping today would be one of them.

Because it was snowy, freezing (seriously...10 degrees today!), and I was dreaming of being somewhere warm I decided to make these cookies....

I was perusing through one of my Christmas presents, the Martha Stewart Cookies cookbook, and found a recipe for Coconut Cookies with Passion-Fruit Curd. I am not a Passion Fruit fan, but I love, love, love coconut! I decided to make the Coconut Cookie but make a Pineapple Curd instead. I found a recipe here for a Pineapple Curd that I used at the base recipe.

So here is my recipe for the finished product:

Coconut Cookies with Pineapple-Lime Curd

for the curd:

6 large egg yolks

3/4 cup sugar

5 tablespoons cornstarch

18 oz. pineapple juice (3 6-oz. cans)

Juice of 1/2 a lime

1/8 teaspoon salt

Zest of half a lime

Make the curd:

Combine the egg yolks, sugar, cornstarch, pineapple and lime juices, and salt in a heavy pot over medium heat. Whisk constantly, cooking mixture for 5 to 10 minutes. It will become thick and coat the back of a spoon. Remove from heat and transfer to a bowl.

Cool in refrigerator for 2 hours or until set.

Just before piping the curd onto the cookies,

add the lime zest.

The finished curd should be able to hold it's shape and it

will go from a pale yellow to a bright, yummy yellow.

for the cookies:

1/2 cup all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/8 teaspoon salt

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

1 cup granulated sugar

1 large egg

1/2 teaspoon vanilla bean paste (or vanilla extract)

3 1/2 ounces sweetened, flaked coconut

Confectioners' sugar, for dusting.

Make the cookies: Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. In a separate bowl, mix the butter and sugar with an electric mixer with the attachment. Mix on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Mix in the egg and vanilla bean paste. Reduce the speed to low. Gradually add the flour to the wet ingredients. Mix just until combined.

Stir in the coconut. Divide dough in half and place each half on a piece of plastic wrap.

Shape dough into two disks; wrap each in plastic. Refrigerate until cold, about 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Turn out one disk of dough onto a lightly floured work surface; roll to a scant 1/4 inch thick. Using a 1 1/2-inch cookie cutter, cut rounds of dough; place on parchment paper-line baking sheets. Repeat with remaining dough. Freeze until firm, about 15 minutes.

Bake until the edges of cookies turn golden, 8 to 10 minutes. About 6 minutes into baking, flatten the cookies with the bottom of a measuring cup if they are puffing up. Let cool completely on sheets on wire racks.

To assemble: Transfer curd to a pastry bag fitted with a medium round tip. Pipe the curd onto flat side of a cookie; sandwich with another cookie.

Dust with confectioners' sugar. Serve immediately.

Sandwiches should be assembled just before serving. The unfilled cookies can be stored between layers of parchment in an airtight container at room temp for up to 1 week.

Now, go play out in the snow. Build a snow fort. Have a snowball fight.

And when you are really good and frozen...

... come in and have one of these.

You will not be able to help thinking warm, summer-y thoughts.

this recipe was created by Erin Flanders. It was adapted from the Martha Stewart Cookies cookbook and the Pineapple Curd recipe located at the link listed in the article.

christmas decorations. (a reflection)

2010-12-08T09:13:00.000-08:00

This year, Christmas will be different at our house. We have decorated a little differently this year and I believe I like it.

It is simple. Reflective. Contemplative.

We only chose three decorations to get out this year and this is the first.

Our nativity set. I love the simplicity of this set. It is beautiful. It reminds me of the plain and unadorned way Jesus Christ - Immanuel - came into this world. Immanuel means God with us. God came to live amongst us and in our hearts. So humbly. Not as a king or ruler, but a child born in the lowliest of places.

How amazing!

The King of Kings, the Lord of Lords came and lived in a manner so humble that it defies all of our worldly logic of how a king should be. (Philippians 2:7-8)

But this was God's plan.

For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called:

Wonderful Counselor,

Mighty God,

Everlasting Father,

Prince of Peace.

(Isaiah 9:6)

You see, this was God's perfect plan to ransom you and I from our sinful state. Do you know of any other king that has devised such a plan? That a baby would come and live among the people. And grow into a man - the Savior, preaching a message of love and repentance. And then die at their hands to pay the penalty for my sins. For yours. For everyone's. But this was the plan. A beautiful, perfect plan.

So each and every day, as I walk by this table and see this simple nativity scene which is a visual representation of the humility of my Savior, I am reminded again and again that this baby - this child, this man, this Savior - came for the purpose of setting me free. Of suffering and dying so that I may live. That, friends, is completely overwhelming.

Overwhelmed at the love and mercy that has been bestowed on my life.

My heart is so very thankful.

I am thankful this year for the simplicity of the decorations around our home. Instead of the usual busyness of lights, garlands, wreaths, multiple trees and red and green thrown into every nook, there is a calm. And a reflective peace.

I pray for my family and for each of you this season.

That the busyness will not overtake you.

That you will take the time to ponder this amazing gift of a Son, a baby - and what that means for your life.

That each one of you will know that in the midst of the whirlwind of life,

there is Peace.

His name is Immanuel.

New Lens!!

2010-12-07T11:25:00.000-08:00

I've needed a new lens for some time now.

At least, that's what I tell myself.

As I take more and more photos and learn more about my camera, I see the value in each different lenses. I have the standard lens that came with my camera and a telephoto zoom lens, but neither one of those is very good for taking portrait pictures of people or food indoors - without the flash. I don't particularly like using my built-in flash.

I've been looking at it for quite a long time now and was able to get it this week. And oh my goodness. I love it. I've taken pictures of everything. Everything. Just to get a feel for it.

Like my breakfast one morning...

and my dog waiting for me to drop something for him in the kitchen (gotta keep an eye on the floor)...

Or experimenting with the aperature and depth of field...

Or my burger at 5 Guys Sunday...

or my favorite subjects, my sweet husband and daughter...

I'm so thankful to have another way to record our memories! I still have a lot to learn about this lens and taking photos with it, but I'm loving the results so far.

2010-12-06T16:11:00.000-08:00

I think we have committment issues. I am awful about updating this and I could promise to do better, but I'm not going to. I know how that will end up...

Instead, I think it would be best just to pretend I haven't been procrastinating for months and just move on. Sound good? I thought so.

Since ~~this~~ last week is was Cookie Week, I made sugar cookies ~~yesterday~~ last week...initially. Then I thought Snickerdoodles would be good. So I made a batch of those. And then, I remembered I had some Spiced Vanilla Sugar from the Savory Spice Shop and so I made another half-batch to see if it was good. It was a hit with my 8-year-old.

I ended up with a jar of cookies. Which is kind of normal around our house.

(I would insert a picture here of our jar of cookies, but they're mostly gone now. And my new lens hadn't come in the mail yet. And my point-and-shoot takes ok pictures, but not great ones. Maybe I'll get over it by the end of the post and show some of my horrrrible pictures.)

I thought I would share my sugar cookie recipe with you. It is so simple and delicious. Also - if you like to run to the store for your cookie dough, try this recipe first. They are so easy and you can mix them up in minutes! The longest part is letting your butter come to room temperature. This recipe came from one of my mom's teacher friends and we have used it as our go-to sugar cookie recipe since then. Before I give you the recipe, go take out two sticks of real unsalted butter and let them come to room temperature before reading!

Pop's Sugar Cookies

2 sticks (1 cup) butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
4 cups self-rising flour
1 t. vanilla

Begin by creaming the butter with an electric mixer. Add the sugar until both they are combined and the mixture looks light and fluffy.

Add eggs, 1 at a time and turn mixter onto high for a few minutes.

With the mixer on low, slowly add in the flour. This will be a very stiff dough. Add in the vanilla and mix until completely combined. I always think it looks like vanilla ice cream at this point.

At this point you have several options. First, you can roll out the cookie dough at this point and cut the dough with cookie cutters. Or you can form rounded tablespoons of dough and flatten them with the bottom of a cup or glass. Just not too thing!

Either way, bake at 350 degree for 8 to 10 minutes. For softer cookies, leave in the minimal amount of time.

I'm going to be a little sneaky and post a picture of my finished snickerdoodles that I took with my BRAND NEW LENS. (sidenote: I'm loving this little baby!)

When I finished mixing the dough, I used a cookie scoop and rolled my balls of dough in cinnamon sugar. I placed them on the baking sheet and flattened them. (Redundancy much?)

Don't they look delicious? Now go make some!

Is it an addiction?

2010-10-06T20:42:00.000-07:00

I'm afraid. I'm afraid I have overcommitted. It may just be too much to handle.

I bought more new furniture last week. I'm beginning to think I may have a problem. And yes, I think I'm going to have to refinish this piece, too.

I know, I know. We haven't even finished the bookshelves that Dave started....a month ago? It is sitting in the garage - almost finished. I think I'll let Dave explain what's holding that project up though...

I found two matching little cherry side tables on Craigslist for free a few weeks ago and picked them up. I think they will make cute little side tables for our guest room one day. And I found this!

This beautiful dresser is going to be Kalyn's. Though, it is almost toooo pretty. We are slowly (emphasis on slow) changing her room to reflect that she will one day not want cute-sy little girl decorations. We are also anticipating that she may want a real dresser - with a mirror - at some point.

This will accomplish two things. A). She will no longer have a juvenile dresser, but something to grow into. We will no longer have to find creative ways to fold her jeans and pajamas so they will fit in the drawars. B). She can practice being narcissitic in her own room. What is it about little girls and jewelry and hairbows and a mirror?

I'm so happy about this dresser. We had been looking at it for several months at an antique store. It was tucked away in a little room in the back. It had originally been marked at $450 and was recently marked down to $250. I was so excited when last week, my sister and I were furniture shopping and I walked in and this was marked at $100! What? Yes, you heard right....$100 for this beautiful dresser.

As happy as I am about this dresser, I have a problem though. None of Kalyn's furniture matches. Or remotely goes together. Her bed is an antique (read, probably some of the "antiquing is a layer of dirt and it needs to be scrubbed and repainted because she is the fourth little girl that I know of to have this bed") white, her toy shelf and nightstand is white, this dresser is a beautiful oak brown, and her new chair is black with zebra print fabric.

*Sigh*

This is where I need YOUR help! Leave me a comment with some advice on what to do with the dresser! Leave it as it is. I've considered repainting her bed, nightstand, and this all an antique white. Or maybe doing something dramatic - like paint everything black! Please, please, please leave a suggestion!

But guess WHAT????? That's not all....

My guest room is full of furniture - some that needs to be sold and some that may or may not need refinishing And I mean full. Like, some dining chairs. Some cool, vintage, mid-century modern living room chairs. A display cabinet.

I'm happy to say....it's not all mine.

My sister is moving closer to me (YAY!!) and most of the abovementioned belongs to her. She has made several furniture-shopping trips up here to the Denver area and I'm storing all of her cool finds for her. Here are her most recent finds (pictures are from when we brought them home the other day).

Elisabeth and I are going to *try* to reupholster this pair of mid-century modern salmon colored chairs. Everything about them is fabulous except the color. I think we can do it!

She is also going to refinish this. She's thrown a couple of ideas out there. I think this cabinet will be a great refinishing project. Oh! And should I mention she got great deals on all of this!

I have never really gotten to shop with my sister as an adult. Like, shopping for things for our homes. We moved far away before she graduated college and then they moved far away from our home state. It has been so much fun to shop with her and spend time with her like this. I feel like we will be so blessed to be only 8 hours apart in a few weeks!!!!

I love furniture shopping, but I think these may be the last pieces of furniture and projects I'm going to try and finish for this year....

...unless I find a great dresser or buffet that is so fabulous (read: cheap, solid, and it's looks Pottery Barn-ish) that I must have it as I am still (kind of) looking for one to upcycle into an entertainment center.

Keeping My Promises

2010-10-05T19:36:00.000-07:00

Food truck dinners are our newest foodie treat. I know they are all the rage right now and we are playing into it, but we are having so much fun tracking them down and trying new foods we probably wouldn't in a typical restaurant setting! Several of the food trucks motoring around the Denver area have joined together and promote themselves as the Justice League of Street Food. The Justice League has organized several FREE events where they gather together in one spot (a vacant lot downtown) for a few hours and serve delicious food. We have been to two of these events and the food has been awesome, the music rockin,' and the people (vendors and customers) fun and interesting! Here are some of the favorites we've had so far.

Oh, and maybe one of these days we will eat there for lunch and I can take better pictures to show you.

First up....The Biscuit Bus

This is my favorite new restaurant. And it's on WHEELS! It is the Denver Biscuit Bus and they make some ahhhh-mazing biscuits. Now, this is a lot coming from me because I make awesome biscuits. I am very proud of my biscuits and how good they are. But these? Heavenly. Scrumptious. I love the word scrumptious.

I have two favorite bicuits from here - The Ellsworth and The Jack Lee.

Stats on The Ellsworth... Fluffy, warm, delicious buttermilk biscuit, fried chicken, stone-ground mustard, honey, and homemade pickles.

The Jack Lee....Wonderful biscuit, thick cut bacon, and grape jelly. The simplicity of this is what makes it so wonderful. Scrumptious.

I highly recommend trying one of these. You definitely won't be sorry. I promise.

Next....Pinche Tacos.

Picture used from this site

Dave went and stood in line and ordered two tacos for us to try. When I got home, I wanted to know which tacos I had tried and looked up their menu. Dave had clearly ordered their Lengua taco without realizing what he had ordered. Any guess as to what a Lengua taco is?

Think about it....lengua, language, speaking....

...tongue.

Yep, was my first time trying beef tongue and I have to say...it was suprisingly delicious.

Not what I expected.

I don't think I'm brave enough to cook it on my own, but I will definitely be having these again!

This is Kalyn enjoying her after-dinner treat from the Inventing Room. These guys (and probably some gals) are crazy good! Kalyn is eating (and barely sharing) her Salted Caramel Ice Cream with Peanut Butter Pop Rocks. This was delicious, delicious! We could barely get a bite from her and the PB Pop Rocks totally, should I say..? Rocked!?

If you are in the Denver metro area and happen to find yourself near one of these trucks - stop and try something! You won't be disappointed!!! Oh - you can follow the Justic League on Facebook and some of these trucks to find out where they are on a daily basis!

Whew! The Whirlwind Weeks of September!

2010-10-04T20:52:00.000-07:00

Whoa! It's been almost a month since I last blogged. Since it's been awhile, I want to catch you up on all the fun we've had ince the beginning of September. Each day this week I'll post some stories and pictures of everything we've been doing but tonight I'll give you some hints at what is to come this week!

Check back with us to hear about the food, furniture, and football in these pics!

Accessorizing Appropriately

2010-09-07T19:17:00.000-07:00

Tonight after supper (Greek-Style Beef & Veggies, if you were wondering) we went on our family walk. I think we all, ~~Colonel~~ some of us more than others, look forward to this time of being outside and enjoying the sunset and each other's company.

On this particular day, in the 3.2478 hours that Kalyn had been home, she had changed clothes approximately 5 times. I dread her laundry - but that's another story for another time. After the kimono, pink princess dress, gold princess dress, school clothes, and an outgrown dress (not necessarily in that order) I had told her to go put on something appropriate to wear to sit at the table. She returns in a mismatched outfit of clashing mod prints. Painful to the eyes. But, appropriate. After supper, Dave and I tell her to run upstairs and put on some socks and shoes. I think she thought we said change clothes again...

Make that seven changes. I think this sets a record for her.

I'm getting the dog harnessed up as Kalyn heads down the stairs and outside. I meet her and Dave outside and realize I must go in and get my camera. She is picture perfect. And the sun is going down. Perfect time for pictures.

Dressed oh so cute-ly in a matching outfit from a Swedish clothing company (and yes, it does rhyme with Schmanna Schandersen).

Cute, right?

But the preppy little Southern girl can't be without her argyle sweater....right?

Or pearls. Pearls are a must-have for the debutante-in-training right?

Oh - and don't forget the MOST important thing. Do not leave the house without these...

3-D glasses. The most important accessory for a walk around the block. Perfection.

Not to mention the milk mustache from dinner.

I love this kid. I love her spirit. And her weird sense of style. And that she is so comfortable with being herself. Being a kid is hard some days. I am so glad tonight for her sweet, free spirit.

But tomorrow may be another story...

Best Time of the Year

2010-09-06T14:27:00.000-07:00

Football has started with a bang. The Georgia Bulldogs demolished the UL-Lafyette Ragin' Cajuns 55-7 in a beating that the whole Southeastern Conference knew was coming. What was unkown about the 2010 version of the Georgia Bulldogs was whether they would be able to play defense without the likes of Renne Curran and Shawn Jones. The introduction of the 3-4 defense was also a question that was on everyones mind. Guess what, the questions were answered in a warm up scrimmage for the first real test against the 'Ol Ball Coach (Steve Spurrier) and a South Carolina team that put on an impressive show against Southern Mississippi. I see this as being a fight to the finish and a field goal or less will be the final result in this one.

There was no big BBQ this weekend to celebrate the arrival of the college football season but we will be cooking something next weekend. However, we haven't decided what to have. In honor of the UGA vs. South Carolina game I am thinking BBQ Chicken with some sides. I am hoping for macaroni and cheese that is homemade by Erin.

Sunday the Denver Broncos travel to Jacksonville to take on the Jaguars. Kyle Orton is the Broncos QB and Knowshon Moreno should be in the backfield. Of course Josh McDaniels in being coy about the facts when it comes to whether he will play or not. Tim Tebow will be warming the bench for just a few weeks until the Broncos are out of playoff contention or Kyle Ortonis injured in some way shape or form. That should not take long considering the fact that the Broncos are starting two rookie offensive linemen. I know McDaniels wanted to clean house when he came in but this is a little extreme. For all of you Peyton Hillis fans who think he should not have been traded you may have been right. According to the Cleveland Brown website he was the Browns leading receiver and rusher through the preseason.

Other than that we as a family we are enjoying football and waiting to see Virginia Tech bring Boise State down to earth in the world of the BCS. I know that America loves an underdog but could you guys please get a grip. Virginia Tech wins by 21.

God Bless all of you and have a wonderful week.

Flanders Out.

Meal Planning, Week #1

2010-08-29T19:06:00.000-07:00

Today I want to share with y'all how we plan our meals. I usually plan our meals out for two weeks in advance and I'm keepin' it real by saying usually. The past month or so I haven't done this and we've been all out of whack when it comes to dinner time.

So, to hold myself accountable I'm going to share our weekly, or bi-weekly, menus with y'all. First - let me explain my system.

The only thing I plan specifically is our dinner meals. Breakfasts are usually varied and consist of a choice of the following:

Annie's Bunnies cereal (I've gotten a different kind every time)
Organic Pomegranate-Cherry Toaster Pastries and Scrambled Eggs
Grits and Eggs
Spiced Vanilla Sugar Toast & Eggs (the Spiced Vanilla Sugar from Savory Spice Shop has forever changed our traditonal cinnamon toast breakfast)
Oatmeal with Dried Fruit & Nuts
Pancakes (on occassion)

Lunches for Kalyn are usually a ham or turkey & swiss sandwich and either fresh cut veggies or fruit. Kalyn is on a particular kick with Swiss cheese - I don't know what it is but that's the only cheese she wants lately. We use Hormel Naturals lunch meat without preservatives, just in case you wanted to know. Dave and I will have a sandwich or leftovers for lunch.

Ok, so with those meals out of the way - supper is the challenge! This is a chart I made for how to organize my meals. Sometimes I just print out the chart and handwrite our meals in and sometimes I type it up. However, there is always (with the exception of the last month, of course) one on the side of our fridge.

This week, I printed out the chart to fill in. Here's how it works for us -

I fill in the meals we want to have in the larger rectangles and leave the outer small rectangles blank. I'm not disciplined enough or something enough to plan out what we are going to have for specific days, so this gives us freedom in the meals we plan and shop for. There are some days that I know exactly what we will have so I write the date in the smaller rectangle next to that meal. Mostly though, I plan a few days out at a time. I do this for a couple of reasons - well, one in particular. In the past, I would plan out specific meals for specific days but when something would come up and we needed to switch things around, my 7-year-old's world would get thrown out of orbit for some reason. This saves our family some drama when things come up and we need to move things around. This way, I know what we're having but we're not too committed.

Anyways... When I'm ready to shop I use an awesome grocery shopping app called Grocery Gadgets. The most very coolest part of it is that I can update any of our grocery lists from my computer at home to our iPhone - no matter where it is. When my husband is at work, I can create a list of things for him to pick up on his way home, with a picture of the exact item and quantity, and it syncs wirelessly up in the clouds. Instantly. It's beautiful.

I make a separate list for each meal that we will have on the list and all of the ingredients needed for that meal. Then when it's time to shop, I go onto the computer and merge the lists together that I want to shop for. See (below) where it says manage lists? I can go there to clone and then merge all of the lists I want to shop for. I do it this way so that the meals I make regularly always have a list with all the items needed for them.

Say I was planning on making blueberry muffins, Pad Thai, and Ginger Chicken... I merge all of those lists into one. Once I do that, I go through the (now) master list and delete the things I have on hand. And did I mention it automatically, instantly updates on my iPhone? Then I go shopping and bring home what I need for the next few days!

See- I can merge this list with any other I have created and voila! A new list!

It may sound complicated - and it did take awhile to get it set up - but it has been so worth it when it comes to actually planning for meals and shopping. It now takes about half the time to plan my list and see what I need.

This is how I plan our meals...now for what we will have in the next two weeks. Here is our menu!

I know some of the items are hard to read - I'll work on this for the future! Also, I take into account that on most Sundays I will make a meal for dinner and we will have something for supper as well. It's typically leftovers, but this way I can make sure I am covered.

Do you plan meals for your family or do you hit the grocery store before and make a decision there? Leave a comment and let me know!

Nothing to Talk About

2010-08-28T15:35:00.000-07:00

It's been a few days since I last wrote. Well, sort of. I've started a few updates but didn't finish them. I'm going to update right now (since my house is clean, the touch-ups on the bookcase are drying, my child is playing with her friends...).

1. I had been putting off doing ironing and a huge pile had developed. And laundry. In an effort to finish the chair last week, I had not done a load of laundry every other day. This is normally how I keep up with the laundry. It never ceases to amaze me how fast laundry accumulates. At this moment I am caught up and back in my every-other-day routine. Also, the ironing is done and put away- yay!

Well, until later this week.

2. Here is my current reading list:

Radical, by David Platt
Bringing up Girls, by Dr. James Dobson
Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Bronte
a couple of G.K. Chesterton books
Look Homeward, Angel, by Thomas Wolfe

3. About Radical. This is one of the most challenging books I have ever read. As a Christian, I want to do everything I can for God's glory. I've been challenged to think about how to do this in each moment of my life. More on this next week.

4. I love teaching the preschoolers at my church on Sunday mornings! I've been preparing Sunday School lessons for the next three months this past week and I am so excited about the upcoming units! I cannot wait to share with these little ones the importance of God's Word as we learn about the characteristics of the Bible as a special book.

5. Being in the military, it is important to have friends where you are that are like family. I am so blessed and thankful to have friends here. Friends that do school carpool and give advice on house projects, those that pray with me, the ones that meet for coffees that turn into lunches, the ones for late night pizza and games, and those that love me even when I am not so lovable. I am so grateful for the people that God has placed in my life and if I haven't told you and you are reading this - I am thankful for you!

6. I love this time of year in Colorado! There is just the hint of fall coming in the air. I say this at the beginning of every season, but I do really think fall is my favorite. So many things are special things that happen (or did happen) in the fall- when Dave and I began dating, our wedding anniversary, K's birthday, football... Again, I could go on and on - but I love this time of year and am so glad that God gives us seasons of the year and how they remind me of different seasons in life.

6. And last, I linked my reupholstered chair up to a challenge this past week and made the Top 10! Yay! If you haven't had the opportunity to see the winner and the others in the Top 10 - not to mention the 150+ other Pottery Barn inspired project, go check it out! Loads of great ideas.

I hope everyone is having a blessed and relaxed weekend like we are. Check back next week for some book discussion, more crafting and thrifting posts, and maybe we will actually blog about some food next week!

Thrifty Treasures #1

2010-08-23T20:04:00.000-07:00

Who loves finding a good deal? I do! No matter where it's found - garage sale, yard sale, thrift store, Craigslist, Freecycle - I love finding things for our home on the cheap! I usually go looking for some particular items for our home, but there are definitely times I find a cool vintage item I just have to have.

Lately I've been scouring all of the places mentioned above for picture frames. I have an idea for the hallway going up the stairs and it's going to require a lot of frames! I've collected about 6 so far (Goodwill and yard sale purchases) and spray painted them a nice satin brown. I know what you're thinking....spray paint again? I love, love, love to spray paint things - it's quick and easy and provides instant change.

Here's a picture of some I've already done (there are two small matching oval ones somewhere as well...).

I think they turned out nice, they're just kind of plain. I've been on the hunt for some frames that have character and/or texture. Last week - I hit the frame jackpot. I procured (I love that word!) about 20 frames that are now in my garage and I paid a total of $6.43 for all of them. Now, to be honest, I got the majority of them free from posting an ad on Freecycle. I did get five of them for $6.43 at Goodwill.

Here are the five I got at Goodwill...

And here is the box of frames I got from a Freecycle Friend. Well, these are the ones I am probably not using for this particular project, but I think I have plans for them already!

There are some good ones in there - they are all 4x6 or 5x7 and I needed a few of the larger ones.

Here are the Freecycle Frames that I WILL be spray painting along with my Goodwill finds tomorrow.

I love find great items that can have another life! So - here's a final picture of tomorrow's project (sorry that it's a tad out of focus).

I know everyone loves good deals so with that, the question is.....what's your thrifty weakness? Is there a particular item or collection you always look for or do you look for things that catch your eye?

PS - my sister scored an awesome find this past weekend, too! A super-nice Ethan Allen head- and footboard at a garage sale. It was a good weekend!

I'm linking up to the Southern Hospitality blog and her Thrifty Treasures link party.

Book Case - Almost Ready to do the Finishing touches.

2010-08-22T19:21:00.000-07:00

Well - if you go back a little while in the blog you will notice that we asked for help in choosing a color for the bookcases we got off Craigslist. We chose yellow. I have primed most of it and have it ready to go into finishing stages. Here are a few things to bring you up to speed about . After I had completed tthe fun things going on around here. After the first round of priming, Erin decided to complete her first ever graffiti and she got all delinquent on the back of the bookcase. Take a look.

The picture is a little out of focus because the little one took it, but I am sure that you can make out what it says. Erin looks at me after I saw it and said, "I have always wanted to do that and I finally did it." This was pretty cute but I did have to paint over it and move on with the project. I was tempted to leave it there permanently when it was pushed up against a wall but I couldn't do this and not go all the way with it. So here is what I am calling Stage 2.

Now when I started this project I found that using the spray primer was just not going to cut it and I had to move back to OLD FAITHFUL when it comes to primers. KILZ 2. What was I thinking? Trying to cheat my way through this project? Naah. That spraypaint is not gonna cut it so I do not recommend anything other than KILZ 2 when it comes to primers.

If you guys didn't know either (because I didn't) Martha Stewart has a new line of paints at the HOME DEPOT. Well guess what Martha? I am not paying an extra four dollars for your name to be on my can of paint. So the paint person at Home Depot let us know that Glidden makes the Martha Stewart paint and that she could shade it to exactly that color for us and it would save us money. So if you want Marthas colors but don't wanna pay her price just get some Glidden paint. If you already knew this then I applaud your shopper savvy-ness.

Well hopefully next weekend I will have this complete and will be able to show you the final pictures. Until then God bless and have a great week.

Dave out.

Just makin'..... A List of "Do's" for our Home

2010-08-22T16:47:00.000-07:00

While browsing some craft and design blogs this week, I came upon an awesomely cute idea for a list of "do's" for a home.

I fell in love with it and decided to do my own version. I wanted to use the same words found on Design Intervention but use a technique I found on the blog, Tatertots and Jello.

I began by printing out the words for the project . Here is my stack of paper and my canvas.

I then cut out the words and made sure they fit onto the canvas. I'm so glad it was perfect because little did I know, the next step would take up my entire day! Here is a picture of the words laid out onto the canvas.

The next step took sooooooooooooooooooo loooooooong. And that doesn't even remotely convey how long it took. I traced all the letters onto contact paper and cut them out with craft scissors and an Exacto knife. I thought it would take me an hour or two to do this - but it took all day! I then adhered the contact paper letters to canvas and spray painted the canvas blue. I let the paint dry and removed the contact paper and this is how it turned out....

This was an inexpensive project because I used many things I already had around the house.

Here is my list of supplies:

Contact paper (already had on hand)
Spray paint (already had on hand - I had painted a lamp in my living room this same color a few weeks ago)
Stampin' Up! Crafters Tool Kit - This was a life-saver! It had so many useful tools in it that I used for this.
18" x 24" Canvas - This was the only thing I bought for this specifically. I purchased a 2-pack at Michael's for $14.99 and had a 40% coupon. It ended up being less than $5 for this one canvas.

I hung it up in our family room.

I'm not sure how I feel about it here, but thank goodness it's moveable!

It's Finished! We did it!

2010-08-19T08:57:00.000-07:00

I am so excited to be able to share these pictures with y'all! I am so excited how my first reupholstery project turned out. Would you like a little sneak peek?

How about another?

This turned out so much better than I imagined it would! Remember how it started?

It is now perfect for Kalyn's room! Well, it is the first part of perfect for Kalyn's room. We are going to slowly replace some things in her room over the next few months - some I will make, some things will be repurposed, some purchased - but this chair is the first. Kalyn's room renovation started with a discussuion with my sister about updating Kalyn's room and we found a PBteen quilt that was the inspiration for this chair makeover.

Picture from PBteen

These are two other PBteen items that inspired my choices for this chair...

I thought that the woodwork was similar (and I'm using this term reallly loosely) to the small PBteen chair,but I loved the idea of the bold zebra print.

So, how about another peek at the finished project!?

And, well, ok...here are a few more pictures!

I'm so proud to put this in Kalyn's room!

Later this week I will delve a little more into some of the details about the project, but here are some of the steps we took at the beginning of the project!

I very carefully and meticulously removed the old fabric pieces - and when I say carefully and meticulously, I mean it! I took the pieces off one by one and numbered them as I removed them. I also photographed each piece as I removed it so I could reference the pictures when I put the new pieces on the chair. But that's not all! I also wrote down everything about the piece as I took it off - information like how it was attached, if and how it was sewn , and other various details.

Once the chair was taken apart, I gave the wood pieces a light sanding and then came my favorite part!

Spray painting!!!!!!!!!!! I spray painted (with Rust-Oleum Ultracover 2x) a primer coat first and then a glossy black! I then used a spray polyurethane - Varnathane's spray Indoor Heavy Use. I ended up brushing on some polyurethane as well. The spray polyurethane would be great for a smaller project or just for the detail parts of the chair (such as the spindles). I ended up brushing on some of the same polyurethane (from a can though) because it would have been costly to buy enough of the spray polyurethane to give the chair a good three or four coats.

Next came the fabric and trim... But I will save those details for later this week. Here is a picture of the final product! Again, I'm so proud of how it turned out! It has inspired me to not be afraid to tackle some larger projects and learn from them.

Here it is!!!!!

I'm linking this up to the CSI Pottery Barn Inspired Challege.

Southern Happiness

2010-08-16T19:28:00.000-07:00

I would like to steal a line from the rapper Jay-Z for this post "That boy good!!!". This line comes from his song Empire State of Mind. You can only hear it in the song if you listen really close and you are listening for it. Just to let you know I am the PITMASTER of this home and the champion of the grill. Tonight when I arrived home I found a wife who was in distress from not being able to sew the chair pieces together because the Singer wasn't working. Guess what boys and girls. Push the gas really hard on your car and blow out the carbon, and so it is with Singer Model 417 sewing machines. I pushed the pedal on this old machine for about a minute and then guess what? It was running like a brand new Corvette. Erin is now excited and putting together Kalyns new reading chair.

Now on to supper. Because Erin was so upset before I fixed the sewing machine I made supper. Supper was a salute to my roots and Harris Jerry Flanders. The king of making something out of whatever was in the pantry. As a sidenote, we have been married for ten years and this was the first time that she let me cook okra and tomatoes my way. This shows how distressed she was. For supper I made Pork Chops, Okra and Tomatoes, and Black Eyed Peas. Here are some pictures of what this good ol' SOUTHERN BOY was up to this evening.

Just to put you on notice. This is how you pull off this dinner. The cast of characters includes THICK CUT PORKCHOPS!!!!!! Don't cheat yourself with the skinny ones. Be a MAN!!!! It takes about 40 minutes to cook them on the grill but if you do it right you will savor every bite. Before you grill cover them with a little bit of Kosher Salt and Pepper (freshly ground) on each side. The Kosher Salt keeps the moisture in the meat and keeps you from burning them. If you wanna look like a man in front of your lady you had better own your grill and not let it own you.

The rest of this is pretty simple. Okra (frozen), tomatoes (crushed). Put them in a pot bring them to a boil and then let them simmer for the entire time the porkchops are cooking. Black Eyed Peas, pour out of the can and follow the same directions for the Okra and Tomatoes. Once you have everything simmering dice half of a VIDALIA ONION (not a red onion turkeys), and place half in each pot. This should cook down nicely and after your PORKCHOPS are done you will have won her over with a wonderful taste of the DEEP SOUTH.

This is a meal that happened in my house growing up many times but Dad always used the smaller pork chops. When I discovered the THICK CUT PORKCHOP it made this meal off the chizzzain, crazy good. All I am saying is that if Erin likes my Okra and Tomatoes you can only imagine how much she loved the porkchop.

Ladies and Gentlmen "The PITMASTER has left the building."

Postponement

2010-08-16T16:12:00.000-07:00

My reupholstery project is suffering from an unexpected postponement. I think most things that are postponed are done so unexpectedly though. Disappointment set in this afternoon when I got ready to sew and instead of winding the bobbin, my machine gave an uncharacteristic whirring noise that sounded more like a cry for help than a machine ready to sew. I keep reminding myself it's just a bump in the road and it is going to be copacetic because I have wonderful friends who have extra sewing machines that I'm going to be able to borrow. I was hoping to have the project finished by Thursday and maybe that can still happen - we will see! So, in the meantime, I thought I would share something exciting and fun!

Kalyn made Star Student last week at school and had to complete a poster about herself over the weekend.

I couldn't get the stinker to really smile for a picture. So, about our Star Student (in her words)...

When I grow up, I want to be a olmpic (olympic) swimmer.
My favorite subject is Social Studies.
I am a star student because I participated and listened.
I am proud of myself because I do my work correctly.
What I like most about school is my teacher.
I am good at math.

Way to go, Kalyn!

I'll end with a few pictures of our precious daughter that I snapped while she we were working on the furniture this past Saturday.

Input Wanted...Yep! That Means You!

2010-08-14T18:03:00.000-07:00

OK friends, if you are reading this then we want your input! Your advice! Suggestions! Yes, we want them all! We found some bookshelves on Craigslist this week and have started stripping and priming them for a fresh coat of paint and hardware before they come inside. Here is a picture of one of the bookshelves we bought.

Dave reminded me to take a picture before he started and I kept putting it off. By the time I grabbed my camera he had already taped off the edges of the glass. There is also a smaller bookshelf. It was two shelves instead of the four this one has.

So here is where you come in! How should we paint these!?!?!?!?! What should we do to these? Here is what we know...

The third shelf needs new glass. Easy fix.
We are going to paint the inside of the shelves a light color - in between white and cream. I can't remember the color we grabbed - but it's pretty.

And that's all we know. We haven't been able to agree on a color for the outside of the shelves! We could do an ivory with a glaze on them. That could be nice. Or something that really stands out - like a robin's egg blue with the white shelves. Or an espresso brown . Or RED! That would be fun!! There are so many choices - help us out! What do YOU think would look good? One more thing - these bookshelves are made of a mix of solid wood and a composite wood product so I'm NOT going to refinish them by sanding them down and restaining.

Oh! I found some hardware today at Oh So Charming (the ladies there are great, by the way) and Dave tried it on the shelves when we got home to make sure the scale looked nice. They added a welcome change to the nondescript hardware that was already on them.

Here is a look at one of the pieces of hardware. I snapped the picture before Dave removed the hardware to prime the shelves, but didn't get a picture of the others. All the hardware we got was fairly similar, but there are only two of each piece. We will use a mixture of the hardware once we are finished.

Alright. You've seen the bookshelves and some of the hardware. How should these be painted??

Before the Weekend

2010-08-13T10:37:00.000-07:00

This week has flown by! I was afraid that with Kalyn back to school this week, I would be bored. However, I have been working on a reupholstery project to occupy my time and it is going great! Well...in the interest of full disclosure, it was going great until yesterday when I noticed some fibers from the dropcloth in the polyurethane coat on the wood pieces of the chair. Ugh.....

I can't bring myself to go check it because I don't want to have to sand and touch up and re-apply the polyurethane. Does anyone have any suggestions for this? The pieces were not moved around and the garage door was closed to prevent wind from blowing stuff onto the wet polyurethane. It is like it magnetically jumped onto the top of the pieces I worked on as they were drying. By the way....can fibers really magnetically jump? I ran a cloth with mineral spirits over it (as recommended) to clean the chair off before I applied the polyurethane.

So, since I haven't already, let me introduce you to my current project!

Little (boring, but pretty) Shabby Chic-Kind-of-Chair

I saw this chair at Oh So Charming's monthly antique event. I thought it would make a good replacement chair for our bedroom. However, when we got it home the scale was not right for our room. It is much to small to go with the rest of our furniture, so it is in the process of becoming Kalyn's new reading chair. She has outgrown her reading chair in her room and loves to curl up with a good book. This will make a perfect chair for her as she grows. I have painted the legs and arms glossy black and am in the process of cutting out fabric for the reupholstering. We have white walls in our house so the white on white on white was not looking so good!

I will give you one picture today and maybe a few in the coming days to see some of the changes coming for this little chair.

Alright - I think I'm motivated now to go work on my project! Oh! One more thing!

If you are in the Denver metro area and like antiques/repurposed items - check out Oh So Charming's August event this weekend! They are in located Littleton and only open for one weekend each month. Also tomorrow, August 14th, is an Old Town Market Saturday in the Littleton Historic Downtown area.

Friday Night Fun

2010-08-07T12:35:00.000-07:00

We haven't had a Friday Family Fun night in a while because frankly, during the summer, every night is a fun night. With Kalyn starting school this week it has been a week full of early mornings, early bedtimes, and adjusting back to a school routine. Last night was a great Friday night. We made homemade veggie pizzas that we grilled. They were AWESOME! We used the Pioneer Woman's pizza dough recipe and a sauce recipe from Tasty Kitchen with some slight modifications. We made about eight personal sized dough rounds and froze what we didn't use for another time (which - they were so delicious ended up being Saturday lunch). Dave made some incredible pizza sauce after I realized we didn't have any. I don't think we will ever buy a can of pizza sauce again. It was too easy to make it and so delicious. For your viewing pleasure:

This is my pizza. Onions, bell peppers, tomatoes, spinach, and basil..mmmm. There were also mushrooms available, but only two out of the three of us choose them. Can you guess who didn't?? It's a little obvious, right? Dave grilled the pizzas two at a time over indirect heat on our grill. He lit the two outside burners and cooked the pizzas in the middle of the grill.

As we ate our pizzas, we began the first of three rounds of the following game:

This game was so much fun!! We've been looking at getting it every time we go to Target but never actually purchased it. We happened to find it for $2 at a thrift store earlier in the week. We checked to make sure all of the pieces were theres before we purchased it and only needed to replace the Cranium Clay with some of our own play-doh! Sweet deal! It also provided us with three hours of awesome family fun!

We finished off our last round of Cadoo with some homemade warm banana pudding. A sweet ending to a great Friday night!

Adventures In Texas and Other Strange Goings On

2010-07-26T19:46:00.000-07:00

This is Colonel. He has been our loyal furry friend for three years. To say that this guy is well traveled would be an understatement. He has traveled the length of the United States from Colorado to Georgia twice. Once by air and the other by vehicle. He has also set foot in the states of Oklahoma and Texas. This is the coolest dog I have ever had. I only can say this because I have had a lot of dogs. Growing up on a five lane highway you quickly learn that any day your dog will be consumed by a huge tractor trailer (Low Noon) or the mail lady (Snoopy). These are just two examples of the dogs who lost their lives to the treacherous Travis Field Road in Savannah, Georgia. Colonel went with us to Texas and he shed so much in the car I had to vacuum it three times to get the hair out and eventually I had to bring out the big gun known as "THE KIRBY". Colonel would go on to have loads of fun with Cash and Georgia at Aunt Lissie's house which would lead him into sleeping for a great deal of the time on the way home.

Can't say that he missed much on the way back. We went through Amarillo, Texas and Lubbock, Texas but both looked really run down and in need of some Obama stimulus money to get them rolling again. The great thing about Amarillo is the food. Coyote Bluff Cafe' in Amarillo has the best burger I have ever had in my entire life. It is known as the "Burger From Hell" it is a mountain of cheddar and mozzarella cheese covered with a special habanero sauce and green chiles. I have never eaten something so delicious in all my life. Just one tidbit. That guy from Man vs. Food ate it and I did too. So that says to me that maybe I am in the wrong line of work. I highly reccommend stopping by and trying the chile fries and the burgers. You will not be disappointed.

Coyote Bluff Cafe' Amarillo, Texas

Looks like a dive tastes like a dream.

Only Armadillo I saw in Texas.

Time to Play Catchup

2010-05-15T17:36:00.000-07:00

So here we are another week and many more adventures have been had. Since the last blogging session we have attended a "Youth Silly Supper"and eaten a large amount of good food. My wife has completed her Bachelors Degree and I have closed down another semester towards my Masters Degree. So, as we crawl out from under the rock that we have been under for the last couple of weeks all I wanna say is "How y'all doin.?"

So this Silly Supper thing was an interesting endeavor that happened. So they give you this menu with clues on it and the idea of the thing is that you are supposed to try and guess the items, get them right and have the right courses with your first, second and third courses. I happened to either be lucky or good and get all of the items right except one. This made for a very boring silly supper for me but when Kalyn got hers and her first course was all desserts she thought it was the greatest meal of all time.

This child ate like crazy for the first two courses but after course two and the bloodstream was full of sugar the high began followed by the eventual massive crash known as the sugar low. You would think with all the sugar my kid took in from the desserts that she had drank a ROCKSTAR. Thanks to the youth group at CSBC for the diabetic coma that insued for my daughter later that night. However, we did get her to eat a large meal which is a feat almost as elusive as the Triple Crown is for horse racing.

Random Fail of the week is right here.

BIG BILLS NYPD PIZZA!!!!!!

This is the greatest pizza in the Denver Metropolitan Area. Domino's I have to inform you that no matter how many time you revise your recipe it will never come close to this piece of heaven right here. Big Bills is our favorite place on a lot of Wednesday nights before church and it may be the most patriotic pizza place in the United States. Everytime I have been there someone comes up to me and shakes my hand and thanks for my service. Once a random stranger bought our dinner. Not only is the food great the atmosphere and the people are awesome. This is the Combination Pizza minus black olives and mushrooms on half. Take a guess of who ate the mushroomless side. Not this guy. Have you ever thought about what makes a great pizza? In my opinion a New York style pie cannot be beat. The crust, and the sauce at this establishment are among the best that I have ever had. Big Bill if your out there reading this you have even won over my heart and beaten out Lovezolla's and Spanky's in Savannah, Ga. as my favorite pizza.

Yes. This is my daughter. Kalyn decided to copy me when I started eating my pizza with a fork instead of holding it with my hands. This was a super long piece of cheese and I happened to pull the camera out at just the right time to get this picture. Gotta love this kid.

BBQ Season has begun!!!!

We launched BBQ season with the marking of Erin's completion of her B.S. in Education from Liberty University. She has been waiting on this since before Kalyn came into our lives and now it is complete. No better way to celebrate than with BBQ, Corn Casserole, and Cole Slaw. We have a banana pudding on standby for later. We did the unthinkable today and that was we approached the outside boundaries of BBQ when we tackled the "Mustard Sauce". No. We are not from South Cakalacky and we do not prefer a mustard based sauce but we tried it in order to see if we could do it. Guess what? It was simplistic and this shows me why those from South Carolina prefer the mustard based sauce. They are not creative enough to create the ketchup based sauce. I am not giving away any of my secrets about smokin' pork shoulders but you can see the finished product here and it is impressive. It looks, tastes and smells impressive. This is my forte'. So if you wanna lesson in BBQ'in come see me.

Flanders Out.

Mothers Day

2010-05-09T17:34:00.000-07:00

There is some debate as to how myself and Erin met but their is no debate on the results of that meeting. So here goes. I met the mother of my beautiful daughter Kalyn at a Brewton-Parker College, Kappa Delta Phi (now defunct) party for all the brothers and little sisters. Erin was in the front yard of the fraternity house yelling at another guy and I told a good friend of mine Josh Fuchs "I wanna meet her and little did I know it was Erin Aikens", whom I never thought about dating. Erin and I would end up dating after many attempts by me to convince her to do so.

Shortly after our marriage we would fnd out that we were going to have a child and this child would later be known as Kalyn Nicole Flanders. This child is a pistol and that is all their is to it. She was born after a long night of labor and surgery. Kalyns name means "one who overcomes". The fact that she is here is a wonderful thing and if she were not in my life as my daughter I do not know where I would be sometimes. It is funny that in my mind a seven year old knows me so well that she can put me in place just as quickly as my wife.

Kalyn is a carbon copy of her father. I learned recently that if I am going to raise her right I have to think about how I would have liked to be treaten given the situation that has arisen. Kalyn is a great kid and I have to thank her mother for the way that she is. Erin has helped raised a beautiful, smart and talented young girl.
Mothers Day in our home is a simple observation that is not all blown up with large gifts and jewelry. Erin is a simple girl who does not need a lot to be happy and she has showed me how to love when angry, sad and broken. Erin was a woman when I met her. I know this is hard to understand but I am still trying to catch up to her in her understanding of life. I have had my own trials in life but this woman understands me so well that all I need to do is ask a question and she is able to show which way I need to go in order to make it better.

To all mothers reading this I appreciate all the sacrifices that you have gone through while raising your children. We all have a somewhat different philosphy when raising our children but we all agree that we only want the best for them and we want them to be the best at what they are good at. None of us want our children to ever be hurt and we all want a close relationship with our children. Kalyn and I are becoming closer everyday and I am thankful for that. I have become closer to her because I have decided to listen to her. Gotta love this kid.

To Erin, Barbara, Becky, Grandma Veatrice, Granny Doris, Grandmama Virginia, and Granny Olivia thanks for being great moms and helping me become the man that I am. You all have had a profound influence in my life and I appreciate all the things you have done for me.

Flanders Out.

Flowers

2010-05-08T10:31:00.000-07:00

My wife and daughter are beautiful flowers and I don't think anyone could ever understand how much they mean to me. I have never loved two people more than I love them and it is now another Mothers Day and I get to thank God for the mother of my child Kalyn. Erin has been there for me through so much since we have been married and this love from her can never be determined by human measurment. She has sacrified everything to stay home with Kalyn and make sure she has all the tools she needs in order to be successful while juggling a full load of classes in college. We have often had differences when we have been raising Kalyn but this has also allowed the three of us to grow as a family. I am sitting on the couch with Erin and Kalyn this morning and I am thinking that life does not get much better than this. I had to take a quick break to clean the kitchen because Kalyn and I turned it into a tornado last night and that was not cool because it is mothers day weekend and we didn't clean it up after we were done. Erin walked into the kitchen this morning and just came back to the couch and sat back down looking at me. I knew it was time to move and get that kitchen clean.
The kitchen is clean and Erin and I are still chillin'. Kalyn is eating the wonderful invention known as the Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich. We have homework to do then it is off to the "Silly Supper" tonight at church.
I bring up mothers day because I do love my mother but as I think about it I do not know if my brother and I ever made a mothers day easy for my mother. We were constantly fighting through life and I still have not figured out why. Well I hope that I can make my wife mothers day a great one and Kalyn has already started the process. She tried to give Erin her gift on Friday night because she can hardly contain herself because she has worked on it so hard and so secretly since Erin has not been home many afternoons this week. By being able to spend more time with her this week I have learned that Kalyn is a miniature me and my wife informed me that little girls wanna be like their Daddys and I am constantly getting on her for being like me and doing things like me. Guess what I was wrong again about parenting again.

Kalyn and I made Erin pancakes last night and this was the cause of the major mess in the kitchen. Chef Kalyn made it happen and ended up cooking some of the best pancakes I ever had in my life. It didn't hurt that we had some Cracker Barrel syrup for these wonderful creations made by my lovely daughter. Erin is almost finished with her degree and we will soon only have one college student in this house and it will not be Erin. I am so very proud of her and she is really looking forward to just being a stay at home mom. This will be pretty awesome since we have had to juggle life around both of us going to school at the same time. This will be a relief and be scary at the same time but I know she is looking forward to it.

Well that is about all that has happened this week and I hope that everyone has a wonderful mothers day and that we all love our mothers on this date a little more.

Flanders Out.

Mesquite is for Amateurs

2010-05-01T19:49:00.000-07:00

There are a few things that I have learned on my own and through alot of trial and error. One of those things is the art of BBQ'ing. This is not a journey that should be taken by the faint of heart. I was an "epic failure" at this art of southern cooking when I first started. I can remember having a BBQ for some friends in Warner Robins, Ga. and their families at our old home which saw me almost catch our house on fire. I made it a crusade of mine to be the best BBQer in our family this includes the Aikens and Flanders sides of the families. I can say with much assistance from my grill which I received for reenlisting in the Army in 2008 that I have become the best BBQ man in my family and because BBQ in Colorado is not up to the SOUTHERN standard I am the best in Colorado. If you wanna put a little south in your mouth come and see me. I will make it happen.

To become great at BBQ'ing you have to realize that "Only amateurs use mesquite.". Real BBQ men use Hickory and that is all ther is to it. I use a combination of woods to include Jack Daniels Oak Whiskey Soaked Chips but that is only in the last hour of smking a pork shoulder which just puts that lasting touch on what Chris and Brianna Dunn call the best BBQ they have ever eaten. So today is May 1st and not only will I not wear jeans in celebration of May but I will also not miss a chance for me and Ol' Red to get back to what we do best and that is BBQ. It did not take much to convince my sweet Georgia girl that we needed to BBQ because I think she loves it just as much or more than I do.

Rule #1: Develop your Signature Rub- After watching Bobby Flay and reading about the greatest form of cooking in the world, I was able to develop my own rub. Nope. I am not gonna tell you what's in it but it is a wonderful peice of heaven when I need to remember what home tastes like. So I rubbed down my chicken and let is sit for about 20 minutes before putting it on the grill. With chicken you do not have to let it sit long when you rub it. It is not like a pork shoulder. The pork shoulder is an art form that has to sit overnight in the rub for it to be perfect but not chicken. So the chicken is placed on the grill with some good ol' hickory chips for about 40 minutes of slow deliberate cooking.

As you cook your chicken, don't get all flip crazy and keep flipping your chicken over 50 times while you wait for it to finish. You need to leave the lid closed and let the smoke permeate the chicken. This is a marriage that is made in heaven but much like many of our dating relationships' if you push too hard too early you don't stand a chance. Let the grill do the work and go play a game of catch with your kid. When you come back flip it once and go play another game of catch. After the second game of catch stay with the chicken and check it periodically for doneness. This whole process should take about 40 minutes for dark meat and 25-30 minutes for white meat. I am a man who is not a fan of white meat but I will cook it for you so that you can feel better about yourself when you sleep at night. Now it is time for plating.

I am not an artist and I do not create the side dishes. Erin is the wonderful creator of those side dishes you see on this plate. Honey-Roasted Sweet Potatoes (found here- but with a slight heat and time modification) and Green Beans with some butter and salt. This meal is simple, yet wonderfully tasty. Needless to say there was not a single piece of chicken left in the house or a side dish to be found anywhere. We ate this meal like three starving lions devouring a gazelle. This made an excellent ending to a good day. YUM!

So you may wonder why I have a picture of Ed Hochuli (pronounced, Hock-u-lee), the NFL referee in the above picture. However, you gotta hear this story. So, Kalyn likes to play Madden NFL 10 with her Daddy from time to time and so last night we were playing a game together on the same team against the Arizona Cardinals. Kalyn jumps offsides on defense and causes us to be called for offsides. The game cuts to the referee screen and I say to her "Look's like Ed Hochuli just got us." Kalyn says to me "What hockey league?" I couldn't help but fall over laughing.

We are gonna BBQ two pork shoulders next weekend and I will post about that next Saturday night. In the meantime, I am sure Kalyn will do something off the wall funny and I will have to post about it. Have a good week everyone.

Flanders Out.

Mambo Italiano

2010-04-28T20:02:00.000-07:00

So Kalyn is taking a shower this morning and I hear her singing in the shower and I recognize the rythm of the song and it is "Mambo Italiano". I am sure we have all heard it in the Olive Garden and Carrabba's or if your a Soprano's fan I am sure you heard it there somewhere. Anyway, Kalyn's version goes more like this "Hey Mamo momo a mommy mo." This is hilarious because she has been doing this all day even when we have played the song for her and allowed her to hear it a few times so that she would sing it right. I however am more content to listen to her sing it the wrong way. Kalyn is a hilarious kid and this just adds to the stuff that we can laugh about when she is older. That is the funniest thing that happened today but we will see what happens tomorrow.

Flanders Out.

Weekend Update (Traumatic Brain Injury)

2010-04-26T19:32:00.000-07:00

So this is Heather Grover. She is the wife of another deacon named Dave Grover. Heather is an adversary of mine during the college football season. Heather is a FLORIDA GATOR through and through. I am sure - and have it on good authority that she wore a Florida Gators sweatshirt all around the Denver metro area the day after Tim Tebow was picked in the first round of the NFL Draft by the Denver Broncos. I am a fan of the Tebow pick but let me tell you I would rather lick a frozen lamp post than wear a Florida Gators sweatshirt. The highlight of the weekend however, is the way the Heather described her impression of the first time she saw me. Little known to all who are reading this, but about 6 months before we started attending Cornerstone Church together, we bought a dog gate from Heather off of Craigslist. When we bought the gate we had no idea that we would be attending church with her and her husband months later and also becoming friends with them.

Okay so back to the story. So Heather and Erin are talking outside our (now gone) Jeep Cherokee and Heather says something to Erin and then Heather speaks to me and she says that I muttered something incoherently - which she did not understand. Heather said her immediate thought was "Awwww. He just came back from deployment and he's got a traumatic brain injury." Now, I know that I can be quiet in social settings and I can be a little off, but as of right now I do not have a TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY.

However, after this morning I am sure Erin would disagree. Today was Erin's BIG DAY at school toward finishing her degree. She had to prepare a major lesson plan and teach it to all the kids in her class. But guess who dropped the ball today?

~~Kalyn Flanders~~

nope.....

THIS GUY!!!

See, Erin had gotten a large quantity of books from the library and was planning to use them while teaching her lessons. As we were packing up from the evening of studying at church last night, I offered to carry her stuff to the car because it was raining.

I forgot the books.

This would result in a phone call around 9:00 this morning while I was sitting in my office that made me wanna puke because I felt so horrible about it. Erin, being the most resourceful woman I have ever met, rose to the challenge and fixed the issue but it still doesn't change the fact that I fumbled on the one yard line and almost lost the big one for my wife.

Not to mention the fact that I think I made her late for work by telling her I forgot my beret in the car. And then when she came to give it to me I realized it was in my backpack and not in the car. I don't have a traumatic brain injury but the way my brain has been all over the place I wouldn't doubt something was a little wrong upstairs. Anyway, have a great week everybody. Flanders out.

You Can Cook Anything in a Cast Iron Skillet

2010-04-24T17:04:00.000-07:00

So in the course of knowing that we would be inundated with school work and we needed a quick meal for the night I broke all the rules when it comes to eating in our house. I bought all the stuff that you need to make regular everyday spaghetti. Yeah, I did it- I attacked the organic/vegetarian monster that has engulfed our house in recent months, punched it in the face and decided I was gonna have a carb and preservative-filled supper. Erin is not a fan of this meal at all and of course she only had one serving. I on the other hand had two plates and now I am sitting in the leather chair (that I never get to sit in) hoping I don't suffer from a human explosion. However, I didn't stop with the spaghetti - I then delievered a right hook to the monster and told it I was gonna have some sweet tea. As I stood over the body of the monster and drank my celebratory glass of sweet tea like I had just won the World Series, I laughed, and knew that today I am a true champion of food.

This meal is probably the most simple meal a man can make. If you are a man and cannot cook this, you should probably just stay at McDonalds and wait on your heart attack to arrive with a bouquet of flowers. This meal is also a salute to my Dad. He always knew how to make a quick meal of spaghetti for the boys after 8 hours of crappy work in a smelly paper mill. We ate simple in my house, but the man knew how to make some spaghetti in a cast iron skillet. Thanks Dad for taking good care of me when you had already busted your rear end all day making the BENJAMINS.

The first thing I cooked was in a cast iron skillet. It is a fond memory of mine and I will never forget how it all went down. What had happened was...

...one morning my mom and dad were asleep and this young whipper-snapper woke up and decided he needed some sausage and eggs. So I pulled out the cast iron skillet just like my dad did every Saturday and cut up a link sausage. Once that was complete I cooked the sausage and then my Dad came in. I was expecting to be asked a few stern questions but he was very casual about asking if I had made enough for him. Which I had and was more than happy to let him have some once it was finished. He left me alone to cook eggs as well but they turned out to be fried instead of scrambled because I had no idea on how to scramble an egg at that point in my life. This is still an area of cooking breakfast that I struggle with - scrambled eggs. Thanks Dad for letting me just cook. Helped prepare me for when I got to college and had to make up something with what I had on hand at night when I was hungry. George Foreman helped a lot, too.

Flanders Out.

Look at Us

2010-04-24T13:43:00.000-07:00

This is the funnest picture ever of me and the kid. Yellowstone National Park last year was a blast but we just did not have enough time there to make it through the whole place. Unfortunately I have a older laptop from the stone age that has the smallest amount of memory possible in the history of computers and I can't keep a lot of pictures available. However, I do have this one that I will never delete. Thought some would like to see the most updated picture I have of me and Kalyn. If you don't know she is a swimmer and an adventurer. This kid loves to hike, camp and do anything outdoors and I love it. I will tell the world that when she was little I had no idea what I was doing as a father. I believe now that it has something to do with the fact that I may have not been ready when she came along. When you have one child you make every attempt to make sure they are perfect in every way. Advice to all parents "STOP!!!!!!". They are not going to be perfect and the only thing we can do as parents is to advise them the best way to go in their lives. Ultimately as I have figured out in the last year. They are going to make their own decisions and that is just the way it is. Yes I am here to correct her and guide her but I cannot make her perfect and I will not attempt to do so.
Word of advice #2. Read a parenting book. I cannot tell you how important this is when it comes to raising your child. I thought because I was raised a certain way I had to do it the same way. Guess what I am completely wrong!!!!! Don't get me wrong my Mother and Father did a good job but I am just a little different about how I think some things should be addressed. I have learned that as a parent you must understand that every child is different and yours might not be exactly who you want them to be. Word of advice #3. Get over that really quick. I thought Kalyn would be an all-star swimmer and take to the water like a fish without difficulty. Boy was I wrong and dead wrong at that. I am not saying the kid can't swim. What I am saying is that I am proud of her because she has heart and never quits. This is the only 7 year old who takes on the challenege of swimming the 100m IM at every swim meet just so she can complete it. When Kalyn is done with swimming I hope she looks back and sees who she made herself into as a person by not quitting. I have learned that winning is fun but it is also overrated. If you are worried about eour kids winning every competition they are in then you are worried about the wrong thing.
Word of Advice #4. Make sure they are right with God. We as parents spent months praying for Kalyn's salvation. When she finally accepted Jesus Christ as her savior it was the most wonderful moment in my life since her birth. When she was born it was special but when she was reborn into the Kingdom of Christ it was one-hundred times better. God has showed me ways to be merciful and understanding. It is my job to show her the love of Jesus Christ through me. We as parents need to keep this in mind no matter what situation our children are in. Do not be foolish like me and get your education in parenting from the "School of Hard Knocks". Get out there and read a book or two. They are full of good advice.
Word of Advice #5. Give them good role models. My daughter has always struggled with finishing and doing her best. I am not a GATOR in any way shape or form but when Tim Tebow was drafted by the Denver Broncos and my daughter loves the Denver Broncos I watched her jump ten feet in the air. You are not always gonna be around and sometimes your children need to look in other places to find a source of encouragement. Make sure we are picking good ones.

Flanders Out.

New at This

2010-04-24T12:50:00.000-07:00

April 24, 2010 and it is snowing in Denver, Colorado. Growing up in the south I never thought about leaving and living in a place where it can get cold at any time of the year. I was sitting here thinking about azaleas and dogwood trees as I watched the snow fall and how much I miss the smell of them in the spring. Kalyn stated today "I thought Spring had sprung. Where did it go?" as we sat in Chick-Fil-A. The trip to Chick-Fil-A was an event in itself this morning but one that was well worth it. When it is snowy outside I just wanna stay home and sit on my couch and watch T.V. but that was not what Erin had in mind this morning. Off to breakfast and then to the library so we could get some studying done. How dumb of me that I left half my material at home and now I am sitting here creating a blog while she is working on her school work.
Back to Chick-Fil-A. I procrastinated all morning getting out of bed and then we had 20 minutes to make it to get breakfast. After speeding the whole way there and being impatient and running a red light at an empty intersection because I was tired of waiting we made it. Turn me in if you have to but I got my chicken biscuit. Yes it was wrong and I do regret that because it was not the right decision when you know that 7 year old in the backseat is watching everything you do. Oh well this is the beginning of our blog Erin has not contributed yet but I am sure she will. Throw Erin some congrats she only has 19 days left until graduation.