Two Thumbs Up

Last night I tried a new recipe out on Tim and it was delicious. Tim said, "These are going to be the best leftovers I've had!" I couldn't help but laugh because he thinks of supper in terms of leftovers the next day at work. I was so pleased at how well it turned out I had to share it...
Lasagna Piza Roll-ups
1/2 lb. lean ground beef (or turkey)
1 small onion, chopped
3/4 tsp. garlic salt
1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1 jar (28 oz.) pasta sauce with mushrooms, divided
2 cups ((8 oz.) I used a little more cause I like plenty of cheese) shredded 6 cheese Italian cheese, divided (I just used a Mexican blend that had four cheeses in it)
8 long (6 oz.) lasagna noodles, cooked and drained

Brown ground beef and onion in large skillet. Pour off drippings. Sprinkle meat mixture with garlic salt and pepper flakes. Remove from heat; stir in 1/2 cup pasta sauce and 1 1/2 cups cheese.

Spoon 1 cup pasta sauce into 2-quart rectangular baking dish. Spoon 1/4 cup meat mixture down center of each lasagna noodle; roll up and place, seam-side down, in baking dish. Spoon remaining sauce over roll-ups.

Cover with foil; bake in preheated 375ºF oven 35 minutes or until heated through. Remove from oven; uncover and sprinkle with remaining cheese. (I put it back in the oven for about 3 or 4 minutes to make sure all the cheese melted.) Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

The finished product!

Tim said he would have given it two thumbs up, but he was too busy eating to put both up. :)

Goin' to the Chapel...

No I'm not going to get married...Tim's brother Jon got married. This weekend Tim and I went to share in the joyous occasion which was in South Dakota. I had never been to South Dakota before and I've decided that I wouldn't want to live there...I would freeze. Tim was one of the best men, his brother Josh was the other best man. We decided we wanted to drive back after the wedding so we didn't get home until around 5:00am. We didn't look great after all that driving, but fortunately we did get some pictures before when we were still dressed up and let me tell you, I have a hot honey! :)

The rehearsal dinner was a Mexican theme...Lucky was getting in the spirit

Lucky and I hanging out before the wedding

He was just so cute I couldn't resist!

Visit to Branson and a New Arrival!

What could be more exciting than getting a new niece? Being able to be there when she's born! Tim and I were able to go to Branson this last weekend and because he didn't have to work until Tuesday we decided to stay until Monday night. Adrian was due on the 12th which was on Sunday of last weekend, but she still hadn't had the baby. I was hoping that she would have her on Friday night when Tim and I came, but still nothing. By Sunday, I was beginning to think that we would be gone before the time came. Lo and behold on Sunday night while we were playing a game of hand and foot at around 10:30 Adrian, who was sitting on the floor on a huge pillow, started laughing and her water broke soaking the pillow clear through to the floor. The crazy thing was that she hadn't even had any contractions yet. We made it to the hospital by around 12:00am and at 5:14am Maya Reagan was born. Talk about a beautiful baby. I know I might be a little prejudice, but she is perfect. Just to prove it I took pictures. You can see for yourself!

Talk about Lucky!

We're back in KC! It's so nice to be back. What's even nicer than that is that we have a new little friend. Her name is Lucky. She's not a puppy, but she sure looks like one. She's actually 4 years old and will be five in February (on Valentine's Day). She's really cute too. She's keeps me company when Tim's gone at work and has pretty much become my little shadow. We've had tons of fun taking her on walks and apparently she has too because when we take her out to go to the bathroom she always tries to convince us to take her on a walk by tugging on the leash. She's lots of fun.

I just love the bow in her hair. It makes me smile! :)

Isn't that just the cutest little face!? Her fall photo shoot. :)

Final Days in Exile :)

A lot has been happening in the past month or so since I last wrote. Ryan and Adrian came to visit us in OKC before we left and we had a blast hanging out with them and playing with the boys. We were able to take them to the zoo there too and the boys loved it. Unfortunately it wasn't the sunniest of weekends so we had to spend quite a bit of time inside. It didn't hold the guys back though. They thought up a great idea to keep the boys entertained and they played for hours. Here are a few pictures of the fun. Unfortunately I couldn't get the videos on that I wanted to so still pictures will have to do.

Climb Every Mountain...

This Friday began just like any other day, but as the day progressed excitement flaired until I was unable to contain it. The knowledge that Sarah and Eric were on their way to visit made me very thin on patience waiting for the time they would arrive. But time was not on my side. It was not until 11:00pm that they decided to make their entrance. Waiting on baited breath for them to drive up I went outside to meet them. Finally, they were here. Because of the excitement of the evening, we didn't make it to bed until late into the night. That didn't stop the boys. They were up bright and early and off to play disc golf at around 7:15am. Sarah and I being the ladies of leisure that we are waited until 8:00am to get up and head over to a fabric store to check out the goods. After seeing what we could see and buying what we could buy, we headed for home. Full of energy and enthusiasum we couldn't just sit around the whole day, so we packed up and headed for the mountains (the Witchita Mountains that is). The one and a half hour drive was of little consequence to us as we neared the sights of the towering rocks ahead. We knew there was a challenge ahead of us and we were ready to take it on. It wasn't long before we spotted little prairie dogs skittering along beside the road at Prairie Dog Crossing. Our curiosity got the best of us and we stopped to watch the little rodents scurry around. Their friendliness was a pleasant surprise. It wasn't long and we were continuing on our way to begin our hike up the mountains. It was not an easy hike, but hard and treacherous filled with peril and danger. Not allowing that to detour us we pressed on. Over boulders and up and down steep inclines we travelled stopping now and then to enjoy the sights despite the difficulties. Discovering territories that had never been touched by human hands we were filled with excitement and wonder. Taking one step at a time we finally reached our destination. A hidden cavern under the miles of boulders was there to greet us and offer us a place to sit and cool off in their shade. Being the adventure seekers that we are we weren't able to just stay sitting there. Despite being beyond exhausted we began our exploration inside the fathomless cave. It wasn't long before unbeknownst us Eric had awoken an angry bat which flittered around unhappily. Things were a bit sketchy for a while there, but we got out without a scratch. Sarah and I decided that our duty was to hold down the fort while the guys treked on to discover more secrets of the cavern. Their skill was much needed for the jump across the insurmountable chasm and they were able to make it back to us. Knowing we needed to make it back before dark we began to head back. Knowing what was to come made the perils of the way back easier to face. We were less than half way back when we decided to deviate from our initial trail. As we continued in our new direction we were forced to pass through a field of boulders. Jumping from boulder to boulder it became obvious to us that one false step could be detrimental. Making it past the boulder field we knew we could face anything. The rest of the journey passed without consequence and we made it back in one piece. All of the effort that we used in our hike through the mountains gave us an enormous appetite. We decided that we had to have nourishment. After a delicious dinner which we all enjoyed and Eric gorged himself, we were all ready for an evening of relaxation. Falling asleep to a good old movie was the perfect ending to a great day. Then Sunday rolled around and because all good things must come to an end Sarah and Eric had to leave us after a lovely lunch. We were sad to see them go, but glad for the time we were able to spend together. What a wonderful weekend.

Sarah and I holding down the fort.

What a cute couple! :)

Getting ready to go hiking.

Rushing Rapids

Okay, so maybe the rapids weren't all that rushing, but Tim and I sure had a ton of fun canoeing with the gang in Branson last weekend. The weather man called for rain that day...it did rain in the morning, but by the time we got out there to canoe the rain had stopped. We didn't even feel a sprinkle the whole four hours! It was a beautiful day.

We found a gorgeous waterfall and had to take a picture!

We started out with just Cy...

After we took a break...

We added a couple more! :)
Nolan loves to hang out anywhere Cy is.

I love my nephews! All four of them!

My First Sewing Project!

One time when I was really young, my brother Izaak and I had someone who helped us sew aprons. I'm sure he would appreciate everyone knowing that, but in his defense, it was a guy's apron. Anyway, that was the only thing I had ever sewn before, and I'm guessing I didn't do much of it by myself. This, however, was all me. :) I was surprised it didn't turn out half bad. So here's the process and what I ended up with...


All cut out and ready!

Time to sew...

The finished product!

I really had no idea what I was doing, but it was a lot of fun. I kind of had to make some of the stuff up because I'm not sure how to read "sewing". :) I've decided I'm going to have to start another sewing project sometime soon.

Hiking Adventure!

This last weekend Tim and I decided it was time to take a trip to the mountains and try our skill at "mountain climbing". We decided it was something we are going to have to do more often. It's definitely our cup of tea! We had so much fun hiking that I think we're going to try to do it on as many weekends as we can. We only had to drive about an hour and a half to find some decent hiking places. We got some pretty good pictures which can explain the fun better than I can, so here you go...

Here's just a small taste of some of the beautiful sites we saw.

We found a nice shaded spot where we rested for a little bit.
It was super hot outside!

We decided to get some binoculars so that we coul get a
better look at all the wildlife which we did see.
We even got to see a buffalo...and no it wasn't behind a fence!!!

Until next time...

OKC Days

Okay, so a little convincing from my sister Sarah, and here I am...I thought this would be a great way for everyone to know what's going on in ours lives without having to wait for an e-mail. We'll see if I'm better at this than e-mailing. :)

Just to catch a few of you up who may not know, Tim and I moved to Oklahoma City the end of April so Tim could go to school with the FAA. He's studying to be an air traffic controller. It's a lot of hard work, but he's loving it. In the mean time I've been just about everywhere but in OKC! Between teaching Lifeguarding classes and doing VBS and camp, I've been busy and gone. Thankfully I made it through all that and here I am again by my honey's side. I think he's grateful to have homemade meals again. :)