Life Lately...In Pictures

I was so proud of myself for doing a blog post each day of the week for two weeks straight...and then I fell off the face of the earth again. Ha! 

So I'll provide a recap of life around Hackley Land and Livestock...

We sold and loaded up my garden shed. We are building a giant shop next to our house, and Patrick told me I could have a corner all for my garden stuff. Away she goes! And yes, we are lifting a building with our tractor. Don't worry, it's legit.

We went to Dallas for a wedding...Hunter did so great for his first time flying!

Chay and I before the wedding.

My mom flew down there to watch Hunter for the day of the wedding, because there were no kids allowed at the wedding. She was grateful to have some grandma and Hunter time!

AND the greatest part of the trip was getting to meet one of my long time blogging buddies, Shayna! We had dinner at a little Mexican restaurant near the hotel. We talked for 2 hours straight and could have kept going! 

Since coming back from Texas, we've just been gearing up for seeding and checking cows. We've had lots of little babies being born!

How cute are they?!

Hope you all have a happy week!

Team Annabelle

One of my good blogger friends, Annabelle, has been diagnosed with cancer and has her first oncology appointment today. I am here to support Annabelle and send her all of the good luck and prayers that I can as she goes through this tough journey! You can do it friend!!

Christmas Traditions

One of my favorite things about the Christmas season are the traditions that my family has. Lucky for you guys, Jen @ It's My Life asked some of her fellow bloggers to share in their family traditions. I'm over at her blog today, so if you want to hear what my family's traditions are, head on over!

And I promise you that you will want to read it...I talk about stocking stuffers like cans of olives, jars of peanut butter and baby food. Oh, and Pizza Hut for Christmas Eve dinner. Yep...you read that right...

Christmas card picture 2010

Happies and Crappies

Happy Friday!!!

I'm linking up with Amber today for the weekly Happies and Crappies link up.

Thankfully I have mostly happies, so it makes for a pretty good week!

My Happies...

I am only 5 weeks away (*hopefully*) from meeting Baby H!

I was a winner in a local photo contest! One of our grocery stores built a brand new giant building. They had a photo contest and asked for people to submit pictures of what it was like living in Eastern Montana/Western North Dakota. I entered about 15 of my pictures and WON!! I guess there were hundreds of entries and mine was one of 7 winners. They'll keep the picture up for a year, then run the contest again. When they take the picture down, they give the picture to the winner, so I'll get to keep this nice print of one of the windmills on the farm. How cool is that?! And I also won a $150 grocery card...that always helps!

My hubby drove my pickup yesterday-filled it up with gas and washed it. When I met him in town last night I had to do a double take because I barely recognized my pickup. He hand-washed it, then took it through the car wash. What a guy! Here's Foxy looking super sexy this morning:

My last happies of the week comes this today...I had a coffee punch card all filled out and my coffee was free! And I'm getting my hair done!

Crappies....

I only really have one crappy of the week...my emotions are out of control! I'm all over the place, any little thing can make me sad or upset and I end up crying over nothing. Please pray for the sanity of myself and my husband...we're gonna need it!

Hope you all have a fabulous weekend!

Million Dollar Spaghetti

I follow Joyful Momma's Blog on Bloglovin, and one of the things I like most about the recipes she posts is that they are normal, nothing weird, and generally fall in line with a lot of the stuff that I enjoy cooking and that Patrick enjoys eating. Her recipes are simple, straightforward, and I enjoy most of the ingredients she uses-and all of the recipes are kid and family-friendly.

She posted a recipe last week for Million Dollar Spaghetti, which sounded easy and delish. The last thing that sold me on it was that she uses it as a freezer meal too! So I decided to try it and freeze half the recipe.

 I also used her picture, because I did a big blogger

fail and forgot to take a pic of the final product.

Million Dollar Spaghetti Casserole

Ingredients

• 16 oz spaghetti noodles
• 2 lb jar of marinara sauce
• 1 lb ground beef
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 8 oz cream cheese, softened
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 1 cup cottage cheese
• 2/3 cup Parmesan cheese
• 2 cups shredded cheese ( I use cheddar/colby blend)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease two 8X8 pans.
2. Boil noodles according to package, drain and stir with a drizzle of olive oil so they don't stick together.
3. In a bowl combine cream cheese, cottage cheese, and sour cream. Mix well and set aside.
4. Brown ground beef and onion until no longer pink. Drain. Add in jar of marinara sauce and stir.
5. Begin by layering half of the noodles in the bottom of your greased pans.
6. Top with 2/3 cup shredded parmesan cheese (1/3 in each of the 8x8 pans)
7. Layer on the cream cheese mixture.
8. Top with remaining noodles.
9. Spread marinara sauce with ground beef over top.
10. Bake for 30 minutes then sprinkle with 2 cups cheese (1 cup over each 8x8 pan) and return to oven for another 15 minutes.
11. Let sit for 10 minutes before slicing and serving.
12. Enjoy!

*For freezing: I didn't bake the second casserole. I stopped at putting the beef/marinara mixture on top, then covered it with the Reynold's plastic baking dish cover. I wrote the rest of the directions in a sharpie on top of the clear plastic lid it came with, that way when I pull it out of the freezer, all I have to do is follow instructions 10-12.

I fed this to Patrick and a friend he had helping him haul hay. They both loved it. I asked Patrick if he would eat it if I made it again, to which he replied, "Hell yeah!" That's a win folks...this is one I'll definitely be making again.

Just Call Me Sunshine

First and foremost, I want you all to wish my handsome hubby a Happy Birthday today! He's the big 2-9! 

 

On to other business for the day...

I got nominated for a Sunshine Award from Jen @ It's My Life a couple weeks ago, and I am just getting around to answering the questions she asked about me! So here goes...

My 11 questions are:
 
1. What is your favorite movie?
     -I have too many to choose from! My favorite is probably Fried Green Tomatoes. I've loved it since I was a kid, and still love it to this day. Other top movies include My Best Friend's Wedding and Grease.

2. When you were a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
     -I remember playing "teacher" a lot with my cousins and siblings, so I think probably a teacher.

3. Who would play you in the movie of your life?
     -I would probably choose somebody like Julia Roberts or Catherine Zeta-Jones. 

4. What is your favorite dessert?
    -That chocolate cake from Costco...which we had as our wedding cake (after our cake baker had a family tragedy about a week before the wedding), and I'll be having more of it on Friday for my birthday!

5. Do you like to read? If yes, what?
    -I like to read trashy romance novels, mystery books, thriller books, and memoirs (as long as they're not super boring). Anything but fantasy or science fiction.

6. What is your dream vacation?
    -I have LOTS of dream vacations! I would love to spend a week at a resort somewhere tropical. I'd love to tour around Ireland, and love to take a Mediterranean Cruise.

7. What is your favorite restaurant?
    -Probably the Sandpiper in Idaho Falls, Idaho. We used to live there, and would go there about once a month. To this day, I could tell you exactly what Patrick and I would both order. He would have the fried calamari, baseball sirloin cooked medium well with a caesar salad and loaded baked potato, with a Coors Light draft beer. I would have the spinach artichoke dip, baseball sirloin cooked medium with caesar salad and loaded baked potato, with a glass of Pinot. And for dessert we would share the strawberry cheesecake. Yeah, we went there a couple times :)

8. What are your hobbies?
    -It seems I have more hobbies in the summer time-gardening, my flowers, baking, taking pictures. In the winter my hobbies include...um, TV watching? Does that count?

9. Do you use social media? If so, what platforms?
   -Facebook, blogger (duh), Instagram, Pinterest...tried to get into twitter but there's so much random crap on there and I hate when people re-tweet something from someone else. I don't care what someone else wrote, I want to read what YOU wrote. That's why I followed you. It just took up too much time. 

10. What cheers you up when you're feeling down?
     -My dogs, always. I mean, look at those faces :)

11. What have you never done but would like to?
    -Be a mom, which will happen here shortly :) What else...vacation at a resort for a whole week with just my husband (which will hopefully be happening next June!!!),  run in any sort of race (let's just go with a 5K...that's really all I want to do to say I did it), get a NICE camera and take some professional looking photos (getting one early next year-hellooooo tax return!). These are all goals of mine, which should hopefully happen within the next year or so...well, about that race. We'll see about that one :)

Tomorrow I'm going to the doctor for my 32 week ultrasound! I'm super excited! I'll hopefully have a pregnancy post and update for you shortly after that :)

Some Soldiers Need Our Help

About 2 weeks ago, my blogger friend Jen over at Almost Gypsy Soul asked her fellow bloggers for some help. Jen adopts a soldier while they are overseas serving our country. Her last soldier made it home safely and she was currently without an adopted soldier.

One day she got an anonymous comment in her blog from a soldier asking for her to adopt their unit, all 10 of them, and that she send each of them a Duck Dynasty themed care package. Jen did a little follow up on the comment and found out that it was not spam, but indeed a real soldier and all of the names in his unit were legitimate. They had been recently deployed to Afghanistan.

10 packages is a lot of work, so Jen enlisted the help of her fellow blog friends. Several of us are writing letters to them, sending money to help her purchase items or for shipping, and I am buying a couple seasons of Duck Dynasty on DVD to send with them.

Jen came up with a list of things she would like to send, so please view her original post HERE.

Lets help her put these packages together! You can either comment or email to me that you are interested, or email her at operationDD@outlook.com

Lets all share the Duck Dynasty love!!

Friday Jam-Soul Food

Happy Friday!!!!

Today I am doing something my cousin Lacey does, and introducing you to one of my music jams. She does Friday Jamz most every week, and I always look forward to hearing the songs she chooses!

And I'm also linking up with Jennifer for Soul Food Friday! 

So what song am I currently loving? What song just makes me want to blast it with my windows rolled down and dance like a crazy woman? YES, I am THAT girl! I feel like this song just feeds my soul-it's one of those songs that when I hear it, can't help but start moving and dancing. I love those types of songs! So, unless you've been living under a rock, you've probably heard this song by the not-so-bad-to-look-at Robin Thicke:

ABC's of ME!

Just what you wanted to hear about...more of ME! Well, that IS why you guys are here isn't it?

HickChickBritt tagged me in this ABC's of me post she did yesterday, so I'm playing along! Hopefully you'll learn something new about me that you didn't know before...here goes!

A. Attached or Single? Married. It will be 5 years on August 30th this year!
B. Best Friend? My friend Stef...10 years now! And she just got engaged on Monday! HOORAY!! And my friend Chay...although friends not as long, she is one of the best :)
C. Cake or Pie? Umm, both? I prefer cake probably. Like cheesecake, Costco chocolate cake, confetti cake with the amazing frosting with colorful chunks of sugar in it...

D. Day of Choice? Saturdays, because the day is always full of so many possibilities on how to spend your time! Or Fridays, because it's always so relaxed at work, I often go on lunch dates with friends, and there is NO better feeling than when the clock hits 5 p.m. and you walk out your office door!
E. Essential Item? Water...I drink lots of it...about 100 ounces a day.
F. Favorite Color? Pink! Light pink, dark pink, bright pink, you name it.

G. Gummy bears or worms? What an odd question. Bears I guess.
H. Hometown? Corvallis, Montana
I. Favorite Indulgence? Ben and Jerry's Half Baked Ice Cream. None of that Froyo crap. And if anyone tries to convince you that froyo is better than ice cream, well, they're just in denial and lying to themselves.

J. January or July? If anyone who reads this has EVER been to where I live, you know that hands DOWN, July wins. Why not January? Because riding your snowmobile to the highway because you're snowed in is not my idea of a good time.
K. Kids? Nope, not yet. But we have two furbabies, Harley and Smoke!
L. Life isn't complete without? My Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ
 
M. Marriage Date 8/30/2008
N. Number of Brothers and Sisters? 2 sisters and 1 brother-I'm the oldest.
O. Oranges or Apples? Fuji apples

P. Phobias? Snakes, being unable to see the bottom of a lake/ocean/pond.
Q. Quotes? Everything is alright in the end. If it's not alright, it's not the end.
R. Reasons to Smile? A baby's laugh.

S. Season of Choice? Fall, because it's crisp in the mornings and evenings, but warm during the day.
T. Tag 5 people:  Michelle, Jennifer, Amanda, Tiffany, Annabelle.
U. Unknown Fact about Me: I have CRAZY dreams, almost every night. And I can remember them with ridiculous detail. Not all of the time, but some of the time. And I remember dreams that I had from years ago, and I can still tell you in detail what they were about. Like dreams from 20 years ago.

V. Vegetable? I do love some veggies! My favorite is probably asparagus.
W. Worst Habit? Being lazy and unmotivated when I actually have a lot of stuff to do.
X. X-Ray or Ultrasound? X-Ray
 
Y. Your favorite food? Ice Cream.
Z. Zodiac Sign? Scorpio

Well, hopefully you didn't find me too boring, and at least got some entertainment value out of my ramblings :) Happy almost Friday!!

Saw It. Pinned It. Did It.

THIS PROJECT!!! I am SO excited about it! 

Ok, first things first. I am linking up with Steph and Katie for the weekly Saw It. Pinned It. Did It. There are always so many things I see on Pinterest that I want to do, and this is a great excuse to show them off!

One of my goals this year was to decorate my home with some of my photography from around the farm. Once I saw this original pin, I knew what I wanted to do:

First, I had to find an old window...which, was actually not that hard to do when you live on a farm that's been around for years and years, with lots of old buildings. I actually found one on accident, while getting something out of the old garage at my in-laws' house. I was looking for something and happened to glance in the very back behind some old wood. I found this old window frame from their house. I have no idea how old it is, but didn't care! It was perfect!

Some of the paint was chipped off, it was dirty and covered in dead bugs and cobwebs, so I cleaned it up a little bit. But not too much, because I think it adds to the charm :)

Next, I printed a bunch of my pictures that I've taken over the past couple of years, and laid them out how I wanted them in the frame. I used a mixture of fields, sunsets and machinery.

 

This step was very important: I took a picture, so I knew what order I wanted them to go in when I flipped the thing over, since I was going to apply the pictures behind the glass.

After I made sure all of the pictures matched up where I wanted them, I started in with the Mod Podge. I want to stress to put a VERY SMALL amount on there, or else the pictures will dry with funny bubbles in the front of them. This happened on several of my pictures. I would also recommend firmly pressing down evenly on the back of the picture from top to bottom-with the grain of the mod podge-so there are no air bubbles and everything is going the same direction. This will ensure you get all of the air bubbles out. (You could probably also just mod podge around the edge of the pictures and in the blank space, but I wanted the weathered effect in front of my pictures, so I put mod podge on the whole thing and then put my pictures down).

Let it dry, and then I sprayed a clear coat of spray paint on the back to seal everything really well.

And this is my final product! (Sorry for the glare behind it-it was a sunny day!)

It looks kind of funny in the pictures, but it looks a lot better in person, I promise! And I think with things like these, I don't want perfection-I want something a little more rustic looking! Overall I'm happy with it, and can't wait to hang it in our master bedroom!

Soul Food Friday

My fellow blogger Jennifer at Almost Gypsy Soul came up with this idea of Soul Food Friday for the last Friday of the month. I told her to remind me this month and I'd link up with her, so here we are! Link up with us if you'd like!

Anything that motivates you, speaks to you or generally gets you excited about life.....share it at Soul Food Friday!

So when I originally saw this post, I thought it was literally talking about Soul Food...and me and food...I believe Forrest Gump said it best, "We's go together like peas and carrots." Peanut Butter and Jelly..A1 sauce and anything...

So today I'm going to talk about my love affair with cooking. I love to cook. Anything and everything. I watch Top Chef, Chopped, and any other cooking show on TV. When I go on Pinterest, my favorite thing to pin is recipes. I preordered both of Pioneer Woman's cookbooks. After I get my Taste of Home magazine every other month, I immediately cut out all of the recipes I would actually cook and file them away in my recipe box. And my idea of a good time is sitting on the couch, bundled up in a blanket with a diet Dr. Pepper and a new cookbook. I wish I was kidding. 

I even submitted a recipe to Healthy Cooking magazine, which is a subsidiary of Taste of Home, and it was chosen to be published in the 2014 Health Cooking Cookbook.

The thing I love about cooking is the hunt for a good recipe. I browse hundreds of recipes, looking for something just right that will fit into my scope of what I like to make. When I find the recipe, I then file it away. When I'm wanting to feel inspired or try something new, I dig through my recipe box, look through  my cookbooks, or browse my Pinterest list. When I find "THE ONE" I write out a grocery list. 

Once I get everything bought and the dish made, I can't describe the feeling of accomplishment I get. I love trying new things, and it's even better when they turn out to be delicious. I take pictures of the stuff, and of course then blog about it or Instagram it :)

I don't know why, but I just LOVE the feeling I get after trying a new recipe and loving it. It's so weird, I wish I could describe it better...kinda like the feeling after you just nailed a presentation at work. It's like I get a natural high from it. I'm an odd duck, it's fine.

So naturally, I'm going to share one of my new recipes that I've tried and like. It's even better because it's a great way to use up some of the leftover ham from the holidays when that time comes around.

Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole

Source

I did make some changes to the recipe...I cut the recipe in half since I was only feeding two of us. I also used swiss cheese that I grated myself instead of sliced swiss, and I used leftover Easter ham instead of slices of ham lunchmeat.

•  Coat 13x9 pan with cooking spray
• Spread 2 cups of cooked rice on the bottom of the pan
• Spread 3 cups of cooked chicken over that
• Sprinkle 1 1/2 Cups of grated swiss cheese over the chicken
• Spread 1 Cup of diced ham over the cheese
• Mix 1 can Cream of Chicken soup, 1/4 Cup milk and 1/2 Cup sour cream together and spread on top of the ham
• Crush 15 ritz crackers and mix with 1/4 tsp paprika, 1/4 tsp garlic salt, and 1/2 tsp parsley. Mix and sprinkle over the soup mix.
• Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes!     

 What feeds your soul?

It's OK Thursday

First of all, you all should know it's my half birthday today! But you can refrain from giving gifts...I'll let it slide just this once ;)

Linking up with Amber and Neely today...

It's Ok.....

...that I accidentally parked in a handicap parking spot last week. The ground was dirty/icy and I didn't see it until I was backing out! Whoops!

...to wake up smiling from a dream

...to answer when people call you the wrong name, and not correct them

...to never spend more than $7.99 on a book for my Kindle. And that's the STEEP end. I usually pay $2.99 or less

...to eat out even though you just went to the store and your fridge and cupboards are full

...that the only way I know where I'm supposed to be and when is due to my day planner

...to find it sad and pathetic when people do petty things to try and piss you off

...to have ice cream for dinner

...to love your in-laws and appreciate everything they do for you

...to cut this one short cause I have a lot to do!

Tomorrow I'm linking up with Almost Gypsy Soul for Soul Food Friday!! I'll have a great recipe for you!

It's Ok Thursday!

Linking up with Amber again for It's Ok Thursday!

It's OK...


...to unbutton your jeans if you've eaten too much

...to keep a secret!

...to turn your bathroom into a barber shop

 Patrick giving our brother Dillon a haircut before Dill 

goes to National Guard drill weekend.

...to apologize quickly to your spouse when you've been crabby. Sorry honey!

...to just keep eating the food you already have in your cupboards instead of going to the store

...to pay off debt!

...to pick your nose when that stubborn booger just won't come out. Hey, we've all done it.

...to STILL be wearing cool weather clothes.

...to throw your cats outside at night when it's only 20 degrees, because they're driving you NUTS when they're running up and down the halls playing in the middle of the night.

...to have an impromptu howling session with your dog

...to be in love with where I live

Picture was taken on my way home last week...there were no cars on the highway in front of me, and none behind me. I was literally the only person for miles.

It's OK

My post is up a bit late today, but better late than never, right? So here we go!

It's ok...

-that I've been more tired than normal this week, even after getting more sleep!

-that I still haven't ordered seed for my garden

-that I feel asleep while Pinteresting last night.

-to be late for work because I was making my hair look super cute

-by the way I hate taking selfies, cause it always feels awkward sitting taking pictures of myself to post on the internet. Anyone else feel that way?

-it's ok that my coworker is leaving, moving back to California :(

-that I love my 25 mile drive home from work...because I get to see scenery like this:

 -it's ok to love you job, and look forward to going to it every day :)

-it's ok to feel like a garbage disposal after you annihilate everything in your cupboards, and are still hungry. I blame pms.



Short and sweet, but I'm a busy girl! Hope you all have a fabulous Friday eve!

PBR & Old Friends

Last weekend was one of those weekends you just NEED to have once in awhile. Got out of town, visited my sister, hung out with old friends, ate too much food and saw some cowboys ride bulls at the PBR! Oh, and got some new shoes. That never hurts my feelings.

Patrick and I were lucky enough to take a little time away from the farm and calving to have a weekend getaway that recharges your batteries and makes you feel almost human again. We headed South to Billings, which is like our "big city" around these parts. It's population is a little over 100,000. No, I didn't forget any commas or zeros ;) We arrived Thursday night and just went to bed after visiting with my sister for a bit.

Friday morning we got to visit with an old friend of ours who was in town, then headed over to the State FFA (Future Farmers of America) convention where our cousin was competing in his last year as a senior. We attended the alumni meeting, and visited with some friends from Culbertson. I also won a silent auction bid, and the 2013 FFA Alumni scrapbook award again! That makes 3 years in a row! Kind of helped that I didn't have any competition this year. I think I scared them all away ;)

Friday night we picked up my sister from work, headed to Buffalo Wild Wings for dinner, then off to the PBR Rodeo! The picture below is what happens when we get to the PBR about 45 minutes early.

Introducing the riders. It's definitely a good show!

After the rodeo we sat in the parking lot waiting to leave for about 45 minutes. That was...fun?

Aaaaand let's just say things got a little western on Friday night after the rodeo, and this was Patrick's outfit the next morning. Lovin' the loafers. And Lazer the dog!

After a little bit of shopping Saturday morning, we headed out to his friend's house for their FFA State Officer 10 year reunion BBQ. I think all but one were able to attend, and it was great to get the whole gang together! When we showed up, one of the guys' wives had bought balloons, a cake and all sorts of decorations! 

 What a great crew! The guy on the left, Darin, was the Best Man in our wedding, and the guy on the right, Brandon, was also a groomsman. That lovely lady in front on the right is the amazingly wonderful Halsey over at Spunky Junky.

Yeaaaaah, this is more like it :)

 Sunday morning we did the obligatory big city Costco run, and headed back to the farm. It was a great weekend to relax, see old friends, and have a great time!

Saw It. Pinned It. Did It.

Linking up this week with Steph and Katie for:

When I saw this idea for a "Man's Easter Basket" I thought it was too cute. I often try to do small things for my hubby to show him I love him. Whether it's getting him a nice card, making his favorite dinner, or buying him a small gift, I like to do little stuff like that.

So when I came across this idea on Pinterest, I thought it was too cute!

When I was at the store getting all of my food for Easter dinner, I picked up some of his favorite snacks. We happened to have an empty Coors Light box at home, so I just cut off the top and stuffed everything inside. It was super easy, and I was SO excited to give it to him!

Easter morning it was the first thing I did. I woke up, wished him a Happy Easter, and went and grabbed his Easter basket from the other room where I had it hiding. Well, he loved it! He's been enjoying his little snacks and treats all week.

Here is my final product:

Did you guys do anything fun for an Easter basket?

Sorry I've been MIA all week! Work has been busy, and I've had to help a couple times with the cows and calves! Plus we're getting ready to head to the PBR rodeo in Billings this weekend!