Wednesday, July 31, 2013

What's for Dinner?



I have some frozen beef patties thawing in refrigerator.  Have been wondering what to do with them..So I did some online recipe hunts and came up with this fast and easy solution.

Hamburger Patties baked in a 9x 13 pan with a can of cream of mushroom mixed with a can of milk and a package of onion soup mix.   So very easy...You just put patties in bottom of  9 x 13 pan.  Pour soup mixture on top. Bake at 400 degrees for 45 minutes, or until dish is brown or bubbly.

How good does that sound?  I will cook some mashed potatoes and make a salad to go with it as well.  I also have part of a Pineapple cream cheese pie left over from the other night. 

Tonight am also thinking about making some Bellini"s.  If you haven't enjoyed a Bellini it is time to try one or two out!


                                       Bellini Recipe

1    16 oz bottle peach nectar, chilled
1    bottle of Prosecco sparkling wine,  chilled

That sounds nice and refreshing and I will need that after the humid day we've had today here in Oklahoma.

I have always wanted to try the Mimosa drink as well....

                                      Mimosa Recipe

Equal parts of chilled Champagne and orange juice 

I am all about fast and easy recipes of any kind.  If you have one you would like to share with me feel free! I would love to hear from you.  Have a blessed day and be safe. 

 Cheers, Karen

Tuesday, July 30, 2013

Inspiration from family

If your like me every now and then you get into a fashion funk.  While on vacation I watched my sister in law rock some beautiful summer dresses.  I normally  wear my capri's and blouses.  So I bit the bullet and bought three summer dresses.  So thank you Dana for showing me the newest trend here in Oklahoma.  Dana and my brother Thomas has 5 children between them fulltime.  Thomas works out of state so he is gone every other week. Which leaves Dana to be with the family fulltime.  She seems to handle it all well including the ex wife.  Am proud to call her my sister in law!

My brother Stacy inspires me to be a better person.  He works full time and is on top of everything.  He cooks every night after he gets home from his job.  I do not do much cooking.  Mr. C loves to cook so I get lazy and assume he will the week he is home.  The week he is gone we eat sandwiches and such.  After visiting with Stacy and his partner and kiddo's I went home and cooked! Thank you Stacy for inspring me to be a better person at  home.

I miss my mom who inspired me to be a good consumer. She taught me the importance of the dollar.  She was a single mom and worked full time.  She knew how to stretch the dollar.  Am so glad she taught me how to stretch the dollar.

Thanks to many more family members for inspiring me as well.

Monday, July 29, 2013

Surfside Vacation Pictures!

I loved being at the beach! Our 3 cottages was right on the water! How awesome was that I ask you?
This is a picture of the little guys and of course my brother Tyler.
This is Rowdy, Kara, Allison and my son Trevor, on the ferry
Tyler, me, Maycie, and stepmom Karen Sue sightseeing the off shore oilrig.
Blake my oldest son at the Battleship at Galveston Texas. We all had a great time on vacation. I was worried about so many of us going but I think it turned out to be one of the best things I have ever done!

Sunday, July 14, 2013

Surfside Texas Trip

I am so ready for vacation! 23 family members and a few friends are going to the beach for some much needed fun  time!  I have been shopping and trying to get ready for our trip.  My middle son does not want to go, which breaks my heart. He does not travel well at all.  Just call him a homeboy! Am glad Blake and Trevor are going!
I will go get Trevor's vacation clothes tomorrow.  He says he is too busy to go with me..so he will have to like  what I get him..
We rented 3 cottages at Surfside Beach Texas.  We will spend the first night and day at Galveston.  We are planning on riding the ferry, and touring the off shore oil rig.  Not sure what else they have planned.
Am looking forward to making memories with my family members.

Friday, June 28, 2013

Foodie Pen Pal June Reveal

Oh my goodness if you haven't done foodie pen pal you need to jump on the bandwagon!! This was my 2nd month to do this food swap and I am loving it!!  Cassie E. sent me a awesome box of goodness!  She sent me Cinnamon oatmeal, cocoa almonds (my favorite) a clif bar (had never tried that brand before and it was yummy)! She sent mint hot chocolate and some couscous as well as other items.  It was a fun big ole box to open and enjoy!  Many thanks to her!   If you haven't been to her blog you should run on over and say hi!  She is located at.No more sweet treats. com 

I sent to Amy over at  Laughing with the Stahls.  I sent a package of goodies made right here in Oklahoma.

Heres some info about Foodie pen pal

-On the 5th of the month, you will receive your penpal pairing via email. It will be your responsibility to contact your penpal and get their mailing address and any other information you might need like allergies or dietary restrictions.


-You will have until the 15th of the month to put your box of goodies in the mail. On the last day of the month, you will post about the goodies you received from your penpal!

-The boxes are to be filled with fun foodie things, local food items or even homemade treats! The spending limit is $15. The box must also include something written. This can be anything from a note explaining what’s in the box, to a fun recipe…use your imagination!

-You are responsible for figuring out the best way to ship your items depending on their size and how fragile they are. (Don’t forget about flat rate boxes!)

-Foodie Penpals is open to blog readers as well as bloggers. If you’re a reader and you get paired with a blogger, you can choose to write a short guest post for your penpal to post on their blog about what you received. If two readers are paired together, neither needs to worry about writing a post for that month.

- Foodie Penpals is open to US, Canadian residents & UK residents. Please note, Canadian Residents will be paired with other Canadians only. We’ve determined things might get too slow and backed up if we’re trying to send foods through customs across the border from US to Canada and vice versa. So, I’m going to keep two separate lists and match US w/ US and Canada w/ Canada!



Tuesday, June 18, 2013

Sending Trevor to Falls Creek Church Camp

My baby boy Trevor went to Falls Creek Baptist Church Camp this week.  It was a chore to get him ready.  I went and bought him 3 new shirts and a pair of new swim trunks..so I thought.  Sunday night at 8pm I show him the swim trunks..he holds them up and says "Mom these aren't swim trunks..whatcha want me to do show everyone my junk?" Good grief I had picked up regular shorts for him.  Now I could understand this mistake if he was my only son but he being the youngest of 3 boys I should have done better.  So we run into the only store in town open  Dollar General and find him the last pair in his size.  Then we picked up new underware, socks and sleep pants as well.  I had been after him for several weeks to go with me and get his list of items he was supose to take but he was way to busy for that kind of interuptions.  Boys!! So instead we do it the night before he leaves. 

Break down  of camp cost..

$90.00     for 6 days of peace and quiet  (mine=priceless)
$90.00    for new clothes and toiltries
$120.00  for his spending money
$15.00    for gatorade donated to church for kids 

His papa Kendall contributed $140.00 toward the over all cost of the camp.  I am blessed to have a step dad who does SO much for the boys and me.  If it was up to me I would have only sent him $60.00 for spending money.. Lakeside Baptist Church will not let my baby go hungry this I know! Trevor will just buy junk and blow thru the spending money. Am hoping he will learn to budget his money one day! 

Am hoping he will have a wonderful time while gone and he will be filled with the spirit of God. 

Friday, May 31, 2013

Foodie Pen Pals



Foodie Pen Pals


I received a awesome package from STEPHANIE S.  It was filled with lots of goodies.  Her letter to me was nice telling me why she choose what she sent to me.  I had told her I love sweets and snacks and regional foods..  Her package to me included 8 iems that was regional to California.  The other item was a sweet and spicy popcorn.  That item was my favorite as it had a great flavor to it.  She sent  two different peanut brittles and they were both yummy.  She sent several different spices that I didn't have and can't wait to try them.  Mmm or should I say Mr. C. will use them.  He enjoys creating masterpieces in the kitchen.  Stephanie went with the mexican theme which she had no ideal how often we eat mexican food.  She sent a package of tortillas and we made chicken fajitas using them. 
This was my first month in particapting in foodie pen pals and I must say Stephanie hit a home run!  I can't wait to do this again for June!  Trying foods I would never have had a chance of trying before is fun.

I sent to Denine her blog is over at TheBicycle-Chef.  If you haven't been to her blogs you should go take a peak!  She is a brillant writer and has several interesting blogs.  She is inspiring and creative.  Denine seems to me the kind of girl you'd want as your best friend. We are worlds apart for instance  I drive everywhere as we are in a rural part of Oklahoma.  This lady rides her bike!  I haven't been on a bike in YEARS!  We have shared several emails and I hope to continue to exchange greetings. 

This was a fun experience!  You should give it a whirl ladies!!!  Taking part of this foodie pen pal project was truly a awesome expereience!

Here’s a detailed explanation of the program:



-On the 5th of the month, you will receive your penpal pairing via email. It will be your responsibility to contact your penpal and get their mailing address and any other information you might need like allergies or dietary restrictions.

-You will have until the 15th of the month to put your box of goodies in the mail. On the last day of the month, you will post about the goodies you received from your penpal!

-The boxes are to be filled with fun foodie things, local food items or even homemade treats! The spending limit is $15. The box must also include something written. This can be anything from a note explaining what’s in the box, to a fun recipe…use your imagination!

-You are responsible for figuring out the best way to ship your items depending on their size and how fragile they are. (Don’t forget about flat rate boxes!)

-Foodie Penpals is open to blog readers as well as bloggers. If you’re a reader and you get paired with a blogger, you can choose to write a short guest post for your penpal to post on their blog about what you received. If two readers are paired together, neither needs to worry about writing a post for that month.

- Foodie Penpals is open to US, Canadian residents & UK residents. Please note, Canadian Residents will be paired with other Canadians only. We’ve determined things might get too slow and backed up if we’re trying to send foods through customs across the border from US to Canada and vice versa. So, I’m going to keep two separate lists and match US w/ US and Canada w/ Canada!