garlic. garlic. garlic.

my poor husband.  i love garlic!  he likes it, too, but he believes in a little thing called too much garlic.  i don't believe it exists, but he swears it does.

i don't know what made me think of this.  i'm not cooking or baking or even meal planning, but it suddenly struck me that lately i've been using entire heads of garlic instead of cloves!  for instance, a recipe the other day called for four cloves of garlic.  i used two heads and travis stopped me before i could cut up any more.  he thought it looked like plenty of garlic.  turns out, he was right!

 image from lukehoney.typepad.com {just did a google image search}

i know i've done this several times lately.  not sure why.  i  know the difference.  i think subconsciously my brain just tells me to add more of the delicious goodness!

mini carhartt coveralls? swoon.

the picture might be a little foggy, but have you ever seen anything cuter than this little guy in his carhartt coveralls, his slick little shoes, and his little stocking cap?  he reminds me so much of justin at that age.

my dad snapped this picture when parker and lindsay went for a visit to the tahlequah land on saturday.  i messaged justin about it, and he said parker loved being outside.  he was smiling the whole time.

we haven't seen our little man since his birthday party, so it was one of the highlights of my day to look down and find this cutie on my phone messages.

just a {little} organizing.

travis and i have been talking about rearranging the office.  the closet has been an absolute disaster area, and the room became a catch-all during the months leading up to and following the wedding. other than travis using it a few times a week for our expenses and balancing the books, we're rarely in the room.  we've also found that we often have house guests; and while we have a fully-functional spare bedroom, sometimes we have to pull out the ol' air mattress as well and put it in the office.  travis suggested taking the treadmill back to amanda and zach and getting a couch that has a pull-out bed for the office.  i also like the idea of a murphy bed for the room, but travis nixed the idea.  he doesn't think other people would want a murphy bed in this room, and since we don't plan to be here forever, we'll be looking for a couch {or loveseat} with a pull out bed.  ideally the bed would be a full or a queen.  if you're looking to get rid of one, let me know!  everything i've found on craigslist looks like i've entered a timewrap and gone back 20 - 40 years.  no thank you!

saturday we loaded up the treadmill {and in the process took out a chunk of the wall in the hallway -- boo!}.  my dad called right as we were in the middle of it, and luckily he was just a few blocks from the house.  he didn't want me lifting it, so he stopped by and helped travis get it into the back of the truck.  it was perfect timing.  we had just rolled it through the front door when he pulled up.

while travis was in muskogee delivering the treadmill, this was taking place in our house ...

and it was actually much worse than this at one point -- in this picture, i've already removed the mounds of bubble wrap i pulled out of the closet, and i've also already put away the wedding gifts that were still piled up under the window and out in front of one of the closet doors.  i sent travis and message with this picture with the word "yikes!" ... his response?  "holy crap!" 

i pulled everything out of the closet and out of the two smaller bookshelves {which were actually towers from an old entertainment set}.  they each had two doors on them, but i took them off and now they look like what you see above in the picture {you can see one to the left of the desk with striped bins on the shelves}. i pulled out the ol' screwdriver and everything!  i also moved one of the piers out to the hallway to see if i would like a bookcase out there.  i did not.


i really wish i had a picture of the closet, because it was the worst area of all to start with.  after a lot of work, it's starting to look a million times better.  i was able to recycle and throw away quite a few things.  the recycle bin was empty when i started.  now it's full to the top.  for those of you who live in tulsa, you know just how huge our recycle bins are!  that was a lot of clean-out.  i also filled one trash bag.  i still have a bit left to do, but am thrilled with the progress so far. 

i didn't get to finish because travis called while i was in the middle of everything and asked if i wanted to go to the daughtry/3 doors down concert.   i must be crazy because i kind of just wanted to stay at the house and organize.  sierra had just gotten to the house about an hour before to hang out for a bit, and she started organizing samples of my designs.  she thought i was nuts for just wanting to hang at home.  i went through things as long as i could, and then tore myself away to run around and get ready.

i'm always like this when organizing -- it always gets waaaaay worse before it gets better.  do you ever re-organize like this?  or am i the only spaz?

oops ...

on friday i was checking out my template options for our blog, and i saved over our custom design.  oops!  i know better than to do that.  so right now our site is in between looks ... kind of like growing out your hair.  there's always that awkward stage. 

i had planned to work on it this weekend but ended up filling my days with other things ... like kettlebells. pears & goat cheese.  a date night with my husband and the colliers.  cooking for the upcoming week. and time with my brother.

so, bear with me and my bad "hair cut."  i promise i'll be back with a new look soon.

inspiration comes in all forms.

i am bummed that travis and i have been having so much fun lately, and i haven't been snagging a lot of pictures to capture the memories.  i've also had so many posts that i've wanted to write, and i just haven't had the time.  for those of you who follow me in your google reader or other feeds, i apologize that i sometimes have multiple posts in one day (assigned to different dates), but sometimes i just have to take advantage of whatever down time i get and capture as many memories/posts as possible.

i had a few minutes over lunch the other day and thought i would post a couple of images from my phone ... then i got busy ... so even though this post says january 23rd, it's actually being written and posted on the 28th.  =)

i don't keep a lot of stuff at my desk -- no lamps, pictures, etc.  {though, i'm going to try to change that this year}.  i decided i needed a little color in my life, something a little cheery, so i made these fantastic cover pages for all of my projects at work.  i carry all of my current projects around with me in these types of clear folders, so i can quickly provide updates, review information while traveling, etc.  i currently have so many, though, i needed to find a way to quickly identify them.

i also thought i would share a few things that i found inspirational that day.  and some that i shared with someone else who is going through a really tough time.

i hope this breathes a little inspiration into your day.

date night with the colliers.

i'm surprised at just how busy travis and i have been keeping ourselves on the weekends. it's been a lot of fun, though.

on friday afternoon jen texted me and asked if travis and i would like to go to the oilers game. court had gotten tickets, and they thought a double-date would be fun.

we were free, so we met up with them downtown on saturday evening.  our first stop was yokozuna.  we're all trying to have healthy choices with our food, so i tried to pick something fresh.  travis isn't a big sushi fan {let me re-phrase that.  travis is in no way a sushi fan at all whatsoever}, but they have other yummy items on the menu to choose from.

we somehow managed to park right next to jen and court.  we had a great dinner catching up and hearing about their new house they're building {yay!!}.  i so wish we could find a nice piece of land in the right location, so we could start building.  i think it would be so fun.

after dinner we headed over to the oilers game.  we got to see the mascot stand on his head {it was ohsoawkward though, and jen and i couldn't quit laughing}.  they also had a chubaka come out in an oilers jersey and do a little dance -- what??

we spent so much time just laughing.  i asked travis to snag a shot of jen and me.  the camera was set up to take a picture of the person holding the camera, so this is what i got ... 

funny guy finally snagged a shot of us ... and court decided to be funny and photo bomb us as well.  i love hanging out with these three!  they make my heart happy. 

especially this guy ...

another kettlebell workout in the books.

for the record, travis and i did manage to make it to our workout this morning.  we were the only two there, and i kind of liked it just being us.  i might have to see if laura would be interested in training us like that all the time.

i was happy because i finished my workout ahead of travis ... even if i did fall flat on my face while trying to do a push-up on blocks.  have i ever mentioned i have zero upper-body strength??

quick run on the treadmill.

i love sharing the ins and outs of our daily lives with our friends and family who aren't always close by.  i also write to remember.  i love going back and reading old blog posts and remembering events (some i would have completely forgotten altogether if not for the blog). sometimes my posts are boring and of little interest to others, but they mean something to me.  and so i write.

tonight on the drive home, travis mentioned he was going to go to kettlebells at 6:45.  that would give us just enough time for him to get home, change clothes, and head out the door to make it in time for class. i considered going as well, (after all, i hadn't been since the near-blackout encounter) but the boys had been in their crates all day, and i just couldn't bring myself to let them out just to put them right back in.  travis agreed and said that's why he hadn't suggested we both go.  instead, he recommended that i run on the treadmill.  i'm glad he suggested it, because on my own, i never would have done it.  after he left, i even considered not doing it.  but in the end, i was glad to have the motivation, and i made it a point to hop on.

i ran for about 25 minutes.  i didn't track my distance or calories (mainly b/c the treadmill shut off two different times during my workout), but i enjoyed the run.  i was able to make myself keep going, which was nice.

we haven't been going consistently (as you can probably tell from my posts), but i can tell the little bit we are going is making a difference.  each work out gets a little easier.  for the most part, each time i work out it has been a little less time in between work outs.

keep your fingers crossed for me that we can keep it up now that my travel schedule has picked up at work.  (have i mentioned how incredibly nice it was to not travel much during the months of november and december)?

reflection.

yesterday on the plane ride home from houston i caught up on my google reader.  what does my google reader consist of?  a lot of party inspiration and home decor blogs and blogs just a lot like mine.  people sharing their lives, their projects, their inspiration.

and then i came across a post that stopped me in my tracks. {okay, i was in the sky, so technically it didn't}, but it really made me pause.  reflect.  and swallow the ever growing lump in my throat that meant tears weren't behind.

don't get me wrong.  it was a wonderful post.  and not dramatic.  it was simple. and honest. and exactly what i needed.  it was written by my friend megan tree.

i really encourage you to check the post out for yourself, but i've copied part of the message that really struck a chord for me. 

So if [writing's] my thing.....why can't I find it lately?

I think it's because of what my input is. Writing is my creative output, but what am I putting in my life to foster this output?

...

I have noticed a direct correlation between time I spend in the word and what my output become, and really, times when my writing it flowing and I feel most "me" through writing it when I have spend adequate time with God. Just reading his word, studying it. Filling myself with it, so that my output is God-honoring and a Light for him.

My input directly affects my output, and I want to make sure that I am filling myself with the things I need. Not just the things I want or things I think I should be doing at that moment.

and i had to stop and ask myself that exact question -- what am i putting in my life to foster my output?  i've spent a lot of time praying lately for a better attitude.  to show Christ's love instead of anger and frustration.  to find positivity in negative situations.  but at the end of the day, where am i spending my time?  what am i putting into my life?  am i only dwelling on the negative?  am i spending time in God's word?

thanks for finding me, megan, in the middle of a hectic week and reminding me of Who should be my inspiration. 

cozy night in.

thanks for the fire, love.

nothing i enjoy more than spending a night in with good food, a cozy fire {our first of the year}, and my husband and pups.

starbucks chai tea latte ...

... with skim milk and honey. oh so good in between grocery stores today. i don't know what i'll do when my christmas gift card runs out! {the only gift card i've had no problem spending}.

thanks, love!

lazy sunday: steak fajitas and guacamole.

after driving around and looking for land together with our pups today, travis and i headed back home.  we needed a few groceries so i headed to aldi {i'm trying to go there whenever i can because of the great deals i got on christmas eve}. they are a little hit and miss on what they have, so i also had to make a stop at reasor's -- i much prefer shopping there.  

when i got home we were trying to decide if we were going to hang out with the loves and/or if travis's friend chris was going to drive in from bartlesville to hang out for a bit.  as it turned out, we decided to stay in for the rest of the day.

while at the grocery store, i picked up everything we needed for steak fajitas.  travis had pulled steak out to thaw when we got home from our excursion.

chicken fajitas: 

i made my own fajita seasoning instead of picking up a packet at the store.  i got the basic recipe here, but as i've recently mentioned, i like to play around a little with recipes.  

i followed the recipe and used the following ingredients {not pictured, sugar}.  

mix the following measurements of these spices together in a bowl.  {i poured them all in and then whisked together}. 

• 3 tablespoons cornstarch 
• 2 tablespoons chili powder 
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt 
• 1 tablespoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon onion powder 
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder 
• 1 teaspoon sugar 
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin 
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

i had already started marinading the steak in whiskey and balsamic vinegar {i used a shot glass and poured it half full of whiskey and topped it off with the balsamic}. before adding the liquid marinade, i poked the steaks all over with a fork {i don't have a meat tenderizer}.  the meat was in the fridge while i got the seasoning ready.

the recipe calls for the spices and 2 tablespoons of oil {i used olive oil} to be mixed together in a ziplock bag and then add the meat.  i didn't want to dirty another item, so i just started mixing everything into the bowl with the meat.  i added the olive oil and then three tablespoons of lemon juice {i didn't have a fresh lemon or lime}. next i added two tablespoons of the seasoning.

i put the lid on my rubbermaid bowl, turned it upside down, and shook it vigorously.  {mine didn't leak, but i would recommend doing this over the sink ... just in case}.

this worked very well and everything mixed well, coated both steaks well, and even got in between the two steaks.  i opted not to cut off the fat yet.

to give the meat plenty of time to marinade {a minimum of thirty minutes to an hour is recommended}, i decided to chop all my veggies and prepare my other items.

since it was just travis and me, i sliced half of three different bell peppers.

next i sliced part of an onion {to be cooked with the peppers} and diced the other part for guacamole & to top the fajitas.

i chopped a little cilantro {for the guac} and diced a tomato {to be used in the guac & to top the fajitas}. i also cut open two avocadoes {only one pictured}.

doesn't it all look so pretty?  the other thing i didn't capture is the lettuce i cut up to top the fajitas. -- what can i say?  we top our fajitas similar to tacos. 

i scooped the meat out of both avocados.  they weren't quite as ripe as i hoped, but still tasted fine.  they were just a little tougher to mash than usual.

after mashing the avocado as best as possible, i added in onions, tomatoes, and cilantro {my stomach used to turn at the taste of cilantro.  now i love it}.  travis doesn't eat guacamole, so i just fixed a small bowl for myself. 

it got a little easier to mash the longer i worked with the meat.  the finishing touch was to sprinkle garlic salt across the top of the bowl and then mix well again.  all of these ingredients are to taste.  i usually add a little lime juice, but as i mentioned i didn't get any limes at the store.

i didn't snag any pictures, but i also cut up a block of cheese and got the queso started in the microwave.  i melted the cheese, cream cheese, cream of mushroom, and rotel in the microwave.  i decided the sausage for it would be the last thing i would cook and stir in at the end.

i pulled the meat out of the fridge and cut it into strips.  you'll notice i left the fat on for flavor while i was cooking.  it came off like butter once it was all cooked. 

isn't that gorgeous?

i put the strips from one steak into a tablespoon of heated olive oil.   travis likes steak a little more well done than i do.  as soon as it has a little brown color to it, i added the rest of the steak, the vegetables, and added 2 tablespoons of the seasoning.  i would encourage you to taste the flavor as your cooking.  i like my tacos and fajitas well-seasoned.  you may decide you want more seasoning.

lovely, lovely colors!

while i was cooking my hubs came in and captured a few shots of me.

 

he tried to get a picture of conor, but he kept moving ... doesn't his face look freaky in this picture??

i finished up the meat and peppers, quickly browned some sausage, added it to the queso and called travis to the kitchen.

dinner is served.  mmm ... mmm ... mm.  you can't go wrong with fajitas and guacamole. 

what's on your menu tonight?

remembering uncle david.

friday was uncle david's memorial service.  so many tears were shed, and  it was so hard for me to see my mom, aunt brenda, and uncle randy broken hearted over the loss of their brother.  we've lost our granny and our aunt shelia, but it seemed like this hit everyone a little harder. 

next to shellie, david was the youngest in the family.  it's so hard to believe that he's really gone, and i am so grateful for the time we spent with him over christmas.  my heart aches for haley.

this is a picture of me with my uncle at mine and travis's wedding {another time together for which i'm grateful}.  on the guestbook he signed "hard to give up our girl."  my eyes well up every time ... even before he was gone.  he never missed an opportunity to tell me how beautiful i was and ask why i wasn't a model.  i always told him i could never, but thought it was so special to hear that from him every time i saw him. 

this is a picture i came across while cleaning out some things in the house a few months ago.  it's my uncle david holding my cousins levi & mandi and me.  these are the cousins i was closest to growing up, and i have so many memories of the family all together when we were younger.  here, we're sitting in front of my aunt brenda's fireplace at the house she had most of the time i was growing up.

my uncle was loved for so many reasons.  he was such a funny, thoughtful, kind, gentle person.  even after having lived a very difficult life, he still remained kind and thoughtful.  i hope to remembered for those qualities one day.

at the funeral people shared memories, but i couldn't really talk.  i think one of my favorites is when he and diane came to see me in the hospital after casey had passed away {from brain tumors while i was in the hospital for tumors in my throat and chest}. i didn't realize at the time that he was gone, and now looking back and knowing that, i can't begin to imagine how difficult that must have been for them to come see me.  they donated all of casey's toys to the children's hospital, but they brought me his teddy ruxpin.  one of my absolute favorite toys to play with when at his house.  i also remember summers when uncle david lived closer to us in tahlequah and we would spend time at the creek and then back at his house grilling out and laughing.  he had such a great laugh.  you know what i mean, man ...

funerals of course have a funny way of bringing families and friends together.  i saw my aunt diane for the first time in years {probably since i was six or so}, and she hadn't changed a single bit.  durenda and kelli came as well -- i can't imagine how they were able to stand it after having just lost keith.  and aunt sharon made another trip in from arizona.  it's always nice having everyone together, but certainly everyone wishes under different circumstances.

i wish time didn't have a way of keeping everyone so busy, and that so many paths wouldn't come along forking in different directions and taking down them the people that you love.  my favorite memories are those spent with cousins like mandi, levi, kendra, shantelle, and my granny and aunts and uncles -- particularly aunt brenda, uncle randy, aunt berta, and uncle david.  it's been hard losing some of these very special people, but i know i'm also blessed to have come from such a large family, and am grateful for those memories. 

Lord, help us remember how important we all are to each other, and make room in our days for family visits and more memories.

pictures of uncle david.

Last Tuesday was hard, to say the least. I got the news about my uncle on the way to work; composed myself to meeting to work; had a meeting; got a call from my brother; lost my composure; regained my composure; did a little work; got a call from my dad to find out if I had pictures of Uncle David & to know if we could print pictures Haley had on her phone; received pictures from Haley via text and couldn't help but wonder how she was coping; got incredibly sad and wished the end of the day would arrive; got out of the office for a bit and made it through the day.

These are the pictures she sent.

buttermilk pie.

after dinner i started cleaning out the fridge.  i noticed the buttermilk was going to go bad tomorrow {can buttermilk really go bad?}.  i've been in the mood to bake, but have been refraining because travis just loves sweets too much.  he has a love/hate relationship with my baking.  i had a pie crust in the freezer from christmas that i needed {okay, wanted} to use, i decided to whip up a delicious buttermilk pie {travis's favorite}.

in my christmas post with all my recipes for christmas eve dinner i mentioned that i've never really been a pie maker.  and i decided it's something i need to learn to make and get better at.  i also linked to the homesick texan's recipe for buttermilk pie.  i used the exact same recipe tonight.

this is a super easy pie to make {i don't think i realized it during the hustle and bustle of christmas when i was cooking a million other things}; it takes about 10 minutes tops!  it takes a long time to bake though -- 50 minutes or so.

since i captured a few action shots tonight, i thought i would go ahead and post the recipe here as well.


{the homesick texan's buttermilk pie}

ingredients:

• 2 cups of granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 8 Tablespoons butter {softened}  -- i used unsalted butter anytime i bake 
• 3 large eggs, beaten
•  pinch of salt 
• 3/4 cup buttermilk
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon white vinegar
• 1 pie crust

directions:

preheat the oven to 350.  bake pie crust for 10 minutes.

while the crust is partially baking, combine the sugar and flour.

cream the butter.  {i didn't have mine sitting out, so i put it in the microwave for 30 seconds, turning it every 10 seconds - you just want it soft, not runny}

beat the eggs {in a separate bowl}. 

add the sugar/flour mixture to the butter.    next stir in all other ingredients {eggs, salt, buttermilk, baking soda, vanilla extract & white vinegar - buttermilk not shown in pictures}.  i add them one at a time, making sure each one is stirred in before adding the next item.

your timer for the pie should be going off right about now.  if not, take this time to put away any ingredients you've gotten out, put any bowls into the dishwasher, etc.

once the crust has baked for 10 minutes, pull it out of the oven and pour the filling into the partially baked pie crust.  bake in the oven, uncovered until the custard is set.  this will take about 45 - 55 minutes depending on your oven.

for mine, i set the timer for 40 minutes.  i check it then and decide if it needs to go another five minutes or so.  -- you do not want to over-bake this pie.  if the custard is a tiny bit unset in the center, that's okay.  it will stand up while setting on the counter.

as i mentioned before, travis said the one i made on christmas eve was better than his aunt's or mom's {i'll take the compliment!} but that the texture "wasn't quite right." he did say it was the closest to his granny's he's ever had.

if you try it out let me know what you think.   if anyone has a good recipe that you'd like to share, i'd love to try it!

comfort food and staying busy.

all day yesterday i felt like a cloud was hanging over me.  i would be fine and then sad.  thinking of losing my uncle.  my mom and her siblings losing their brother -- i don't know how to process that.  thinking of haley losing her dad -- again, unimaginable. thinking of how grateful i am we got to spend christmas eve.  realizing i never captured a picture of haley and uncle david in front of the christmas tree. wishing i had ... 

on the drive home travis asked me what i thought sounded good for dinner.  i really didn't know.  chicken and dumplings came to mind for him.  the day was dreary and a little cold outside.  i thought chicken and dumplings sounded fitting for the day.  we stopped at reasor's for a few things we needed and then headed home. 

keeping busy was therapeutic for me.  i would still think of my family, but i was focused on happy memories and the task at hand more than anything. 

i had never made chicken & dumplings {and my mom's are pretty hard to compete with}.  i didn't feel like i could call & ask my mom with all she was dealing with, so i took to the internet.  i started with paula deen's, but her recipe sounded much more bland than my mom's.  next stop, martha stewart,  her recipe sounded closer to what i thought my mom's would likely be. 

if you've been following me for any time at all, you realize that i have trouble not manipulating recipes.  i always have to change them in some way {well for some things. i tend to stay true to the recipe on desserts because i'm always afraid they won't set up correctly}

here's my version of martha's. {i didn't include the frozen peas at all}.

chicken & dumplings:

• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 head of fresh garlic, diced {this is something i added}
• 5 medium carrots, sliced {i sliced mine thinner than she calls for}
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme {i used italian seasoning with thyme and oregano}
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 box reduced-sodium chicken broth {i had to use significantly more than martha's recipe}
• Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 2-inch pieces
• 3/4 teaspoon dried dill weed
• 1 3/4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons more milk

 directions:

1. in a dutch oven, heat butter over medium. add onion, carrots, and italian seasoning. cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is soft, about 5 minutes.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
2. add 1/4 cup flour and cook, stirring, 30 seconds. add broth and bring to a boil, stirring constantly - i started with the 14.5 oz the originally recipe calls for, but added more as the soup cooked.  it became more of a paste than a soup; season with salt and pepper. nestle chicken pieces in the pot; reduce heat to medium-low. cover and cook, stirring occasionally, 20 minutes.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
3. meanwhile, make dumplings: in a medium bowl, whisk together remaining 3/4 cup flour, dill, baking powder, and 1/2 teaspoon salt.  i also sprinkled enough italian seasoning to cover the top of the dough mixture because i didn't think the dill would make these taste enough like my mom's. with a fork, gradually stir in 1/2 cup milk to form a moist and soft batter. it should be just a little thicker than pancake batter and should easily drop from the tip of a spoon. i had to add the additional 2 tablespoons of milk because the dough was too thick.) 
   
   
   
   
   
4. drop batter in simmering liquid in 10 heaping tablespoonfuls, keeping them spaced apart (dumplings will swell as they cook). 
   
   
   
   
   
   cover, and simmer until chicken is tender and dumplings are firm, 20 minutes. the dumplings bubbled up so perfectly -- i was so nervous!  not the best picture ever, and the dumplings still look a little doughy here, but i can assure you they were not.
   
   
   
   
   
   we ate dinner with the soup just like this, but i added more chicken broth {until the box was gone} and sprinkled more italian seasoning across the top for our leftovers tonight.