Tuesday, March 30, 2010

This & That

I've been considering writing a post for almost a week now, but I've just kept putting it off. I'll put it off no longer...here's a post for all of you who have come to my blog in the past couple of weeks hoping for something new only to be disappointed.  At least I hope there someone out there who's been wanting to see something new. ;o)

Ok...where to start.  Ummm...

My life for the past few weeks has been c-r-a-z-y!  There was literally a two week period where I had something going on every.single.evening.  It's nice to have stuff going on, but it can get tiring.  

We've been pretty busy getting things ready around here to put the house up for sale.  Cleaning ... packing ... cleaning ... purging ... It's a lot of work to move!  It's slowly but surely getting done.  

If you've read Carolyn or Maggie's blog you'll know that we went to a City Council Meeting last Tuesday.  There's a lady in our town that wants to open up an "Adult Entertainment" establishment.  We went to the meeting not only to see what exactly was going on, but also to excercise our rights and speak out against such an establishment coming into our town.  Unfortunately, you can't legally ban such a place...but you can put strict requirements on it.  So, hopefully it won't last if it does come or even better, she won't even open it up.  Maybe after the meeting she was discouraged by all of the opposition against it. (There were almost 30 people that spoke against it, with only 1 for it...you  can guess who that 1 was...yep! it was her!!)  Anyways, that's the hot news in our town right now. :)  FYI...my dad is now a celebrity...he made it on the news! LOL Go here to see it...he's the one that gives the analogy about a fruit bowl.  

This week is Spring Break.  Unfortunately, I don't get the week off...but I do get much needed time in the office.  In just the past couple of days, I've been able to get quite a bit of 'extra stuff' accomplished that I don't normally have the time to do...yay!!

This weekend we're heading across the mountains once again!  I don't think we'll be looking at any houses this time, but we are going to have a Resurrection Sunday service!  I'm looking forward to it, although it'll be a bit strange because it'll be our first Easter apart from Josh since he isn't able to go with us. :o(

I hope you have a great Easter!  Enjoy your weekend, eat some candy, but most of all...reflect on the fact that Christ is ALIVE!! He's not still in some tomb, but He's risen!!  We serve a risen Saviour! Praise the Lord!

Monday, March 15, 2010

House Pics

For those who read my other House Hunting post, that same week found us back at square one.  Here are some pictures of a house we looked at this weekend that we LOVE!  It's everything we are wanting and more.

Master Suite - Bedroom, Closet, Bathroom
Dining Room & Kitchen
Upstairs Bathroom & 2 bedrooms
Living Room (you can see through the fireplace into the dining room!)
Downstairs - Family Room, Bathroom, 3 more bedrooms, office (storage room-not shown)

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

No-Bake Chocolate and Peanut Butter Oatmeal Bars

Vegetable oil cooking spray
9 ounces chocolate wafers (about 40 wafers), finely ground (2 cups) **I used Oreos**
1 1/2 cups old-fashioned oats
1 1/4 cups confectioners' sugar
1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
5 ounces (1 stick plus 2 tablespoons) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 cup chunky peanut butter
3/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons smooth peanut butter
10 ounces semisweet chocolate, melted
1 1/2 ounces milk chocolate, melted

Directions
Coat a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Line with parchment, leaving a 2-inch overhang on the 2 long sides.

Combine wafers, oats, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat, then add chunky peanut butter and 3/4 cup smooth peanut butter, whisking until well combined. Add peanut butter mixture to wafer mixture, stirring until combined. Transfer to baking dish, and use the bottom of a measuring cup or an offset spatula to firmly press mixture into an even layer. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Pour melted semisweet chocolate over chilled mixture and, using an offset spatula, spread into a thin layer that covers the entire surface. Refrigerate until hardened, at least 15 minutes.

Heat remaining 3 tablespoons smooth peanut butter in a small saucepan until runny. Drizzle peanut butter over chilled chocolate. Drizzle melted milk chocolate over peanut butter. Refrigerate until hardened, about 15 minutes.

Use parchment to lift out chilled block of bars. Run a sharp knife under hot water, dry well, and cut into 24 squares, wiping knife between cuts. Let bars stand at room temperature for 10 minutes before serving. (Sliced bars can be refrigerated for up to 1 week or frozen for up to 1 month.)

Homemade Mac & Cheese

4 cups Dried Macaroni
¼ cups (1/2 Stick Or 4 Tablespoons) Butter
¼ cups All-purpose Flour
2-½ cups Whole Milk
2 teaspoons (heaping) Dry Mustard, More If Desired
1 whole Egg Beaten
1 pound Cheese, Grated
½ teaspoons Salt, More To Taste
½ teaspoons Seasoned Salt, More To Taste
½ teaspoons Ground Black Pepper
Optional Spices: Cayenne Pepper, Paprika, Thyme

Preparation Instructions
Cook macaroni until very firm. Macaroni should be too firm to eat right out of the pot. Drain. 

In a small bowl, beat egg. 

In a large pot, melt butter and sprinkle in flour. Whisk together over medium-low heat. Cook mixture for five minutes, whisking constantly. Don’t let it burn.  Pour in milk, add mustard, and whisk until smooth. Cook for five minutes until very thick. Reduce heat to low.  Take 1/4 cup of the sauce and slowly pour it into beaten egg, whisking constantly to avoid cooking eggs.  Whisk together till smooth.  Pour egg mixture into sauce, whisking constantly. Stir until smooth.  Add in cheese and stir to melt.  Add salts and pepper. Taste sauce and add more salt and seasoned salt as needed! DO NOT UNDERSALT.  Pour in drained, cooked macaroni and stir to combine.

Serve immediately (very creamy) or pour into a buttered baking dish, top with extra cheese, and bake for 20 to 25 minutes (at 350*) or until bubbly and golden on top.

Random Pictures

Maggie & I found these at SuperWalmart...monster Smarties!  They're at least the size of a quarter. :o)

My birthday...and then Nicki "blowing out my hair after she caught in on fire" with my *pink* zippo! [grin]

My morning...white chocolate mocha and a book.  (check out my bookmark..it's a magnet!)

Monday, March 1, 2010

Twenty-Three

In honor of my 23rd birthday, here are twenty-three random facts you may or may not know about me.  

1. I'm the oldest child in my family.
2. I've been pulled over twice, but never gotten a ticket.
3. I've never broken any bones.
4. My tax filing status is: Single. :-)
5. I sing alto.
6. I currently have 27 first cousins (including spouses) & 13 second cousins.
7. I used to have a beta named Killer.
8. When it comes to cake decorating, I tend to be a perfectionist.
9. I've been on 2 missions trips - Mexico & Prague.
10. I had a graduating class of 7 (3 of which were homeschoolers).
11. Mosquitoes LOVE me.
12. I took 2 years of Spanish, but unfortunately don't have much to show for it.
13. I've never lived anywhere but the island.
14. I've been up in the St. Louis Arch.
15. I play the piano and am teaching myself (inconsistently) the flute.  
16. My car is paid off!!
17. I've taught 5 kids how to read.
18. I've been on-staff at the church for almost 5 years!
19. I'm not convinced that throwing myself out of a perfectly good plane (aka...skydiving) would be a fun thing to do.
20. I wear contacts.
21. I weigh....Haha...did you really think I was going to tell you?  Yeah right!
22. I was never a flower girl. :-(
23. My name isn't islandgirl.  It's really...Kali (pronounced: kay-lee).

Today is my birthday.  It's been a lovely day.  It started off with a birthday phone call at 7 AM and then my family sang to me after I got off the phone.  (That's a tradition we've done for as long as I can remember.  The birthday person is typically woken up by everyone singing to them.)  After I stayed in bed a bit longer, I got up, got ready and went to work.  Many people wished me a Happy Birthday and gave me thoughtful gifts and cards throughout the day.  My SPG leaders took me out to lunch, which was lots of fun and the food was delicious!  Then after finishing my day in the office I came home for a few hours, had dinner with my family and then went back to the church for Bible Institute.  Alyssa made me a cake and then everyone sang Happy Birthday which was rather embarressing.  :o)  Afterwards, we came home and had MORE cake (which was actually my third piece of cake for the day...hehe...sshhh don't tell anyone).  It was a great day and I'm very thankful for having friends and family to share it with. The Lord has been so good to me this year, and I can't wait to see what He's going to do in the coming year with all of the changes up ahead!   

Oh, and since you technically only got 22 facts since I wouldn't tell you how much I weigh...here's #23: I'm getting OLD! :o)
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