Saturday with the Moore's

Stayed in bed until 10:00 today. I NEVER do that. I have no idea why I slept so long, but it was awesome. I think it had something to do with the gray rain coming down outside.

Got up, got ready, had a granola bar and decided to head out!

I begged Jeremy to take me to "Dirt Cheap" in Cottondale. I had heard it was great and it did not disappoint. It's kind of like Big Lots meets a thrift store. You know, it's closeout stuff that didn't sell at stores like Target...etc. and it comes to Dirt Cheap and gets marked down 40 - 70%. It's a mess and you have to dig through bins to find anything, but it's super fun. I got a magnetic towel hook, a picture frame from Target, a Valentine's candy dish, a purse from Kohl's, a wooden Mancala game and Jeremy got a bunch of electronic wires he was really excited about. Total: less than $50! The purse alone was supposed to be $24 and the candy dish was originally marked $12.99 and I think I got it for $3.40. Yipee!! It was super fun and definitely one of those places you have to be in the "mood" for, but well worth the trip.

Then I found some super cute "spring green" pants at Old Navy and I hit up Ann Taylor LOFT (my FAVORITE!!) and spent way too much money. But, I had a coupon for $50 off a $150 purchase, so it was well worth it. And I'm set on spring and summer clothes now - well, for a while anyway.

Then I hit the Wal-Mart for a few groceries and J is currently in the garage working on his chopper while I blog, play on the internet, and watch Toddlers and Tiaras on TLC. It sucks you in, I tell you!

I love Saturday!

Snow!

We were pleasantly surprised to wake up to snow this morning. Yeah, the weathermen were all predicting it, but it rarely comes true. We had about 2 or 3 inches by 9:30, but it was all melted by about noon. Here are some pictures of the fun. Oh, and to make things even MORE fun we had our nephew, Brody, at the house. It was super fun getting to enjoy the snow with him! We even made a super-cute snowman and named him "Brobot" - that's what Brody suggested, I didn't argue.

I Tried It!

Ok, so I told you I was going to try this and I did and so far I like the results! Thanks Alison for reminding me to post my results!

I read the article probably 5 times before I actually tried it. Smearing oil on my face did not sound like a pleasant endeavor - especially since one of the oils is used for a...ahem...laxative. Gross! Jeremy gave me a pretty hard time about that one! But the castor oil is essential, since it has the cleansing property.

I used a mixture of 30% castor oil to 70% olive oil because my skin tends to be a little on the oily side. I bought a little travel size shampoo bottle at Target and mixed my oils together in that. I followed the instructions exactly as they are laid out in the article and when I was done my face did look kind of glowy! It didn't feel greasy at all, which is what I was afraid of. And it actually removed all of my eye make-up and I didn't have to wash my face with a separate cleanser. The blackheads that I do have seem to have gotten a lot smaller and less noticeable - does anyone else have a problem with these? They are so gross to me and I can never seen to really get rid of them!!

I've only used the oil cleansing method twice, but I think I'll definitely add it into the rotation maybe 3 times a week. The only thing I felt bad about was leaving the hot water running for so long while I was doing this. Oops!

If you try it let me know what you think!

The Fam

I came across these pictures on my computer today and they made me laugh out loud. We took these back at Thanksgiving when we were trying to get the placement for my camera juuuuust right for the automatic timer. We try and get a family picture every year, which can be a challenge in itself. Here are our attempts.....

Jeremy and me - kind of looking like a couple of rednecks - and don't we look SO happy?!

Mom, Molls, me (channeling Nixon?) and Jerms. Better camera placement, but where is the rest of the fam?

Finally we got the camera in the right place, the timer set correctly and everyone on the couch. This is the fam on my mom's side. We've rented a cabin in the Smokies for the past 2 years. It's so much fun and pretty much the only time of year we're all together. This year we had our first Thanksgiving with baby Olivia and Astro (my soon-to-be cousin-in-law's police dog!)

Yum-o!

I love to cook and I've been doing a lot of it lately. Here are some things we've been eating...

Frittata

Thanks to Sister Molls for inspiring me to try this one. I sauted onion and garlic in a little olive oil. Then added ham, green pepper, mushrooms, and tomatoes and sauteed until heated through. I beat together 8 eggs with some Monterey Jack/Colby blend cheese and poured them on top of the ham mixture. Bake at 350 for about 20 minutes. So good! So easy!

Mexican Pizza (a la Taco Bell!)

I LOVE Taco Bell, but usually after I eat there I feel pretty sick-o! I got this recipe from a friend and it is so good it helps me forget about the Bell.

½ lb. ground beef
3 T. taco seasoning
2 T. water
8 small flour tortillas
1 c. refried beans (warmed)
2/3 c. salsa or picante sauce (I use Ortega Taco Sauce)
1 c. shredded Cheddar/Monterey Jack cheese blend
¼ c. chopped tomato
¼ c. chopped green onion

Cook meat until browned and crumbled. Add taco seasoning and water to meat and stir to combine. Set aside.

On 4 of the tortillas spread a layer of beans, meat, and picante sauce.

On 4 other tortillas spread picante sauce, cheese, tomatoes, and green onions. Stack one of these tortillas on each of the others.

Place pizzas under a hot broiler until cheese is melted.

Firehouse Chili

My first attempt at chili was so bad most of it ended up in the trash! A friend gave me this recipe and it is very good. A little on the spicy side, but that's how I like it!

2 T. vegetable oil
1 ½ pounds ground beef (I use turkey)
1 large onion, chopped
1 clove fresh garlic, minced (I use the dried flakes)
1 ½ t. salt
¼ t. cayenne pepper
¼ t. ground cumin
¼ t. ground oregano
2 T. chili powder
2 cans Ro-tel Tomatoes and Green Chiles (undrained)
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
2 (16 ounce) cans red kidney beans (undrained - I use one can of kidney and one can of black beans)

1. Heat oil in large pot.
2. Brown together beef, onion, and garlic; drain well
3. Add all the spices along with the Ro-tel, tomato sauce and beans.
4. Mix well and bring to a slow boil.
5. Simmer ½ hour uncovered and 1 ½ hours covered.
6. If chili gets too thick you can add a little tomato juice.

Hope you enjoy!

Surprises!

Last night I came home to this note:

It says,

"Marissa, A present for you for being such a good wife and because I love you!

Jeremy"

Underneath the note was this pair of Merrell hiking shoes. I was watching them on eBay and thought I had lost them, but to my surprise Jeremy bought them for me!

I love surprises! And I love him, too!

Aren't they adorable?!

Why I Love Blogs...

You find cool ideas like this to try! I'll let you know how it works! I want my skin to GLOW!