Saturday, February 28, 2015

Pulled Pork Tacos.


PULLED PORK TACOS
AND
PULLED PORK STUFFED POTATOES

So basically you are getting a two in one dinner with one simple common factor-crockpot.
The first night I made the pulled pork stuffed potatoes and with the leftovers I made tacos the next night. Both were a big hit and fed multiple people!!! This is one of those dinners where you work all day and come home to a nice already cooked dinner.

Shopping List: 

pork butt or shoulder. ( Try and look for a cut that is nicely square/oblong and will fit nicely in an oblong crockpot.
16 oz of Dr Pepper
1 bottle of your favorite bbq sauce ( mine is sweet baby rays)
salt/pepper
one onion-chopped
four sweet potatoes- baked at 400 deg. for one hour
a sleeve of corn tortillas
pico degallo
cilantro
chopped pineapple


Procedure:

Early in the morning Salt and pepper your pork all over. Place directly in crock pot. Over the pork roast sprinkle your chopped onions all around the meat. Then cover the pork in bbq sauce and add your 16 oz can of dr pepper. Cook on low 8 hours. 

8 hours later...

check on your pork ( meat should be sliding off of the bone now) and use your fork to " pull the pork" into desired shreds.  If you haven't already cooked your potatoes you should pop them in the oven for an hour ( drizzle with EVOO and sprinkle with salt and pepper. poke holes all over them and set in a lined baking dish)

once the potatoes are done slice them open with a knife and stuff the pulled pork inside ...you can sprinkle with some Gruyere' cheese!! I served this dinner with a salad!!!! SO yummy :)

Taco Version of Pulled Pork (leftover edition)

Simply place the leftover pulled pork in a hot cast iron skillet and brown a little bit. Place the chopped pineapple in with the pulled pork and allow it to soften and the juices to run with the pork. Place a designated amount of corn tortillas inside a wet ( squeezed of excess water) towel and cover. Microwave on high for 2 minutes. Tortillas will be HOT! Be careful :) 
Take your pulled pork/pineapple mix and place inside of the corn tortilla..sprinkle some chopped cilantro and some pico de gallo on top and you are golden for supper!! I served with some warm tortilla soup-recipe up soon!!!!


Tuesday, February 24, 2015

Life Lately



Life Lately...



Has gone by fast.. and slow..
Has had its ups and downs..
Has shown God's grace..
Has allowed us to share tears in answered prayers..
Has been filled with lots of family time..
Has my house smelling like Lemon Bundt Cakes..
Has brought me joy..
Has brought me sadness..
Has been real. 

A few pictures of our life lately...

He thinks he is human..

New car pic!!!


Finally after a year we caved and got wood floors. It was WORTH IT. I repeat. Worth it. Dogs/cats/kids../wine?? Yeah. no carpet.


Mom comes and visits a lot and I LOVE IT


Brunch at the TPC Marriott




Dining room


Fireside

My cute outfit for church :) 


My husband took me to Smoke Shack. It was unbelievable...Brisket grilled cheese..four cheese Maccaroni topped with brisket. #whatdiet?


Back to healthy eating!!! HAHA!! Paleo cheeseburgers and a wedge salad kabob


I so love this pic of us! From our first vacation in Colorado together I was 22 :)!





Friday, February 13, 2015

Valentine's Day Favorites

 
 
 
VALENTINE's Day Favorites
 
 
Call me crazy but normally I do not celebrate this particular LOVEEE day :) I think it is so cheesy!!!! Being a preschool teacher though, I have to kick on my V-day attitude and get pretty creative because what three year old can resist a box of chocolates and some heart crafts?? I did turn it up a notch and rent " The Best of me" BEST MOVIE EVER!!!! while eating chocolates, while forcing Brandon to rub my back...soooo I guess I am kind of in the lovey mood this year! Brandon and I never go out on Valentine's day because GF hates a crowd! My sweet husband is going to make me a steak dinner and watch a movie with me. WINNING!!! Here are some of my Valentine favorites!
 
 
 
 
I absolutely thought this was such a cute gift!!! I made the popcorn and then put them in little cups for my kids :) so cute!! Recipe found on pinterest.

 
This craft was a hit with my little ones. I simply cut out a heart made out of card stock, placed it in a paper plate and allowed the children to dip their marble in a cup of paint. Then using a spoon ( fine motor skills :) yay!) they were to plop the marble on the heart and maneuver the pan so that a design is created!! So easy!!!!

 
My hubby took me shopping and let me pick out these babies for Valentine's ...LOVE!

 
I have worn pink or red all week.. this was my outfit on Thursday :)
Shirt: Loft
Jeans: Gap
Shoes: Michael Kors
Coffee cup: Macy's
 
Happy Valentine's Day!


Lemon Cookie Crunch Bundt Cake

 
 
 
This is by far my favorite @mixnmatchmama recipe yet!!!! she is so creative with her bundt cakes and this one was SOOO appealing to me because of the lemon and the lemon cookies crunched up :) This is a great spring or summer recipe. I plan on bringing this to many church functions, girls nights, and making it at home for ME!
 
Ingredients
 
one box lemon cake mix
two boxes lemon pudding ( use vanilla if you cant find lemon)
one can of butter cream frosting
zest of a lemon
one package of golden oreos ( I used lemon/ golden oreos)
1/2 cup of veggie oil
1 1/4 cup of water
 
 
Method
 
preheat oven to 350 degrees
in a mixing bowl combine cake mix, oil, water, eggs, and pudding
pour into greased Bundt pan and bake for 45 minutes
in a smaller mixing bowl, scoop out the butter cream frosting, add about a tsp of lemon zest, and the crushed golden oreos ( I put mine in a zip lock bag and whack them on the counter) mix the lemon zest and crunched cookies in the bowl.
Invert cake when finished onto a cake plate. Frost the cooled cake. Garnish with more oreos!


 
 
 


Sunday, February 8, 2015

Wistful Weekend


This weekend went by to fast  :(


I had so much fun while my In-laws visited. Doug, Brandon's dad is seriously such a Mr. Fix it!! He installed each and every one of our new lights in all of our bathrooms and bedrooms. We purchased our new Chandelier and all new shower heads wahoo!!!! This house is certainly coming along as planned:)!!! We ate yummy Mexican food, shopped ALOT, and enjoyed a beautiful service with Max Lucado at our church Crownridge :) I baked  a yummy Golden oreo Lemon Bundt cake and a Strawberry vanilla one too!! I will post those up tomorrow :) Perfect for Valentine's day Sweet Treats :) 
Here are some pictures from our fun weekend

My hottie and me about to eat at our favorite restaurant 



I picked a bag!!! :) My husband rocks!


Early V-day Gift.. I love RED!!!!!


One of our light installments. I want to do a home tour once everything is finished!


He is the cutest...I can't..


Church day OOTD
Everything: GAP


Shopping day :) 


Love me some William Sonoma


Goofballs



Thats it!

Wednesday, February 4, 2015

Getting Organized




Right??? B said it so true!!!!!


I have a love/hate relationship with being organized and I SO desperately try to seek organization in my every day life so that I can be less of a mess!!! So, I haven't been up to par the past day or two so my mom came down to cook me dinner  visit :) My mama, being the OCD type A director that she is immediately fled to my kitchen cabinets and started reorganizing things. Most daughters HATE when their mom starts shoving their stuff in a foreign place...I however, love it. It is one less thing for me to worry about and my house is super organized. My mom was the total inspiration behind this post. Thanks mom :) Below is a list of ways that I try and keep my household organized!



BINDERS

Oh me oh my, I have a severe obsession with binders and free printables. I have a binder for just about everything. What I love about them is that all of your important information is neatly compiled and stored in one book where you can easily find what you need. I have binders for 
1. Medical Records: Where I keep medical receipts, RX prescriptions receipts, insurance information, allergy information, all of our doctors and dentists' addresses and numbers. My medical binder looks like this




2. Teacher binder: This is a carryall for my pinterest ideas, staff development notes, Blooms Taxonomy, Creative Art Ideas and printables, playdoh mats The list is endless...what is neat about this binder is that all of my teacher ideas and notes are filed behind color coded dividers whereas I can find my information very easy!!! My teacher binder looks like this






3. Pet Binder: This binder is where I keep all of Colt and Calvin's medical records, shot records, pedigree papers, and food information. It is labeled and easy to find!! Pet binder looks like this:


Dry Erase Boards

These may seem like a waste of money but they are so convenient to mine and Brandon's life. I literally will jot down something important on the weekly calendar or on the grocery list board and remember to write it in my planner or on my hard copy grocery list later. Love these!!!! 
Here is an example of ours! ( Doctors appointments, RX to pick up, if we are out of something small like trash bags or zip locks..stuff like that) 



Clear Makeup Organizers

I am a makeup junkie and cannot store all of my makeup in one drawer, or one tub because I simply have collected WAY to much over the years. It's disgusting. I have a makeup obsession. So to keep my makeup/lipglosses organized I bought two tubs at target and placed fall lipsticks in one, and spring lipsticks in another. Then sitting on my counter I have a clear makeup holder that I place my every day lipsticks and makeup in. The clear holder also has spots for every day brushes, powders, and eye shadows so you are not scrambling to find  color. All of my other makeups are stored in seasonal tubs or drawers. EASY! Here is my makeup counter.




Thats all I got!!! Just a very few ways I try and keep my life organized :) 


xoxo