New Beginnings...

I started writing a blog about a week ago about my new years resolutions. I write down ideas in point form and tried to write something have decent. But it didn't sound like me. It didn't come from heart. It was blah. I thought how could I post this blog when I felt like there was something missing and that it wants me.

Its December 31st, 2013. Its quite hard to believe that this year went by so fast. Yet there is no sign of it slowing down. I look back and think about all the wonderful things  and all the painful things that happened this year. I look at my new husband and the 2 little boys in my life. I look at my friends and my family and think how they have all changed. In just a few hours a new chapter will begin. A clean slate for some of us!

2013 started off like no other... at the hockey rink! That's where you will find me most of the time. But at this time I was learning how to balance being a hockey step mom, working full time, doing photography on the side, being a soon to be wife and planning a wedding... oh did i mention 2 little boys... 2 different hockey teams. I was getting frustrated and over whelmed. I was trying to be the "perfect wife/step mom" and I quickly realized I can't do it all. Though I felt I had too. I was yelling at Jonathan and I was always cranky with the boys and I soon had to realize that I couldn't do it all. I took a step back from everything. I realized things will get done one step at a time. Now  as I go into 2014 I feel a little better. Not so overwhelmed. But I have to do hockey on my own. I don't have my husband with me. But when he's home he lets me have a break :). And we have 2 little boys... same hockey team this year. Ask me this time next year about hockey.. it might be different. I am going into this hockey season refreshed and ready to take it on!

oh the 2 little boys. This year as Jon and I planned our wedding I questioned about being a Step Mom. I was down for a while and really didn't care if I saw them or even talked about them. No one really knew I was dealing with that but I think it was the realization that this wedding thing was real. I was REALLY going to be their Step Mom. Then one day the Zach said something so sweet that I realized I couldn't imagine my life with out them 2. They are so sweet and thoughtful. I have really enjoyed watching them grown over the last few years. I cant wait to see what kind of gentlemen they are going to grow into. For 2014 I am going to stand up for more Step Mothers. We are all not so evil. I am going to try and love those 2 little boys just a little bit more. with the situation we are in right now being I am being a step mom and daddy. Hopefully their wish of a baby sister will happen!

Our situation... my husband 1 week after we go married left for Alberta. My heart was broken for 2 weeks I cried every day. I am getting better. Its starting to become more of a routine. But I am so glad he was home for Christmas. I love my husband. We got married on October 12th the day was beyond perfect.. We deserved it after all we went through to get to this day. But it was perfect.

I struggled a lot this year trying to find my own way of things. It was as if my eyes were open just a little more to the world. I learned that there are horrible mean people in this world who think that when they say or do something it doesn't hurt people. It does. I have been victim of it over and over. But thats ok. Their day will come. What goes around comes around. I am a better person because of those people. I can hold my head up just a little bit higher. Along with those people I have found people who lie. I am not a liar, I am horrible at lying. These were people I thought I could trust. But they hurt me too. again... their day will come. For 2014  its has made me a better person. I will be kinder, more thoughtful, and not lie. I dont want anyone to feel what I have felt.

2014... I want to be more organized. I want to be more put together and get rid of clutter not only in my home but my life.

 I want to go back.... I need to go back to church. I always had could find an excuse I would read my bible and pray. But I am ready to go back. Its going to be difficult because I am not going back to MY church. I will be going to a new church. To the church my husbands family goes to. It will become my new home.

oh yeah.. so I got married... I have a new name. I have some changes coming in 2014. Like my new name... and my new business name... and new website... and new business cards.. I cant wait to show you all what I am working on. They are beautiful... trust me... So talking about photography.. I am a photographer who does not print off  pictures that she takes. That is the dog gone truth. I have 4 scrapbooks that have been started that need to put together.. so thats something else.

LOoking back on this list I think its going to be a busy 2014 for me. That's ok. I like being busy. I don't care if I reach every goal on my list or even if I set new ones. All I need is my family, my friends and my husband. It would be wonderful to cross everything off my list. All I want is my family and friends to be happy, healthy and know I love them. All I need is to Thank God everyday.... I don't know what I did to deserve all this... all I know is that... I am Blessed!

See ya in 2014!!

sparkling white grape punch

What You’ll Need:

• One 2-liter of Canada Dry Ginger Ale
• One 64 oz. bottle White Grape Juice
• Punch bowl with glasses, or serve out of Mason Jar Mugs!

What You’ll Do:

• Simply mix ingredients together, serve, and enjoy!
• Easy-peasy!!

Easy Crockpot Meatballs

How about making some Easy Crockpot Meatballs!  They’re sweet… and tangy… and oh-so-tasty!

What You’ll Need:

• Frozen Meatballs {try this Easy Meatball Recipe}
• One Can of Jellied Cranberry Sauce, or less per your tastes {14 oz.}
• 1 Bottle of Heinz Chili Sauce {12 oz.}

What You’ll Do:

1. Combine the cranberry jelly and chili sauce in a bowl, then stir.
2. Based upon your preferences, you can alter the proportions of cranberry jelly {sweet} and chili sauce {tangy}.
3. Add frozen meatballs to crockpot, and cover with sauce mixture.
4. Heat on high for 3 hours, stirring occasionally. Let simmer on low.
5. Enjoy! 

BBQ Beef Cups

With New Years Eve being tomorrow I have a few recipes that I thought you can make for your New Years Party...

1/2 lb. ground beef

1 each small green and red pepper, finely chopped

1/3 cup Kraft Original BBQ Sauce

1 can (340 g) refrigerated country biscuits (pilsbury)

1/2 cup Kraft Tex Mex Light Shredded Cheese

HEAT oven to 375°F.
BROWN meat with peppers in medium skillet; drain. Remove from heat; stir in barbecue sauce.
SEPARATE biscuits. Press 1 biscuit onto bottom and up side of each of 8 muffin cups sprayed with cooking spray. (See tip for how to use remaining biscuits dough.)
SPOON meat mixture into biscuit cups; press gently into cups with back of spoon. (Filling will be mounded.)
BAKE 10 min. or until biscuits are lightly browned. Top with cheese; bake 3 to 4 min. or until melted.



Thank you to Kraft for your delish recipe!

Porkchops?

Pork Chops with Caramelized Apples and Onions

Yield: 4 servings Time: 5 minutes prep + 4 hours cooking time 4 pork chops 3 granny smith apples 2 yellow onions 1/3 C packed brown sugar Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste 1. Slice your onions and apples as shown. 2. Spray the inside of a large crock pot. Layer the onions along the bottom, and then the apples. 3. Sprinkle the brown sugar over the top of the apples.  4. Season the pork chops with the salt and pepper generously on both sides. 5. Place the pork chops on top of the apples, cover and cook on low for 4 hours.

Lasagna Casserole

Lasagna Casserole

This recipe is a staple in our house!! I make huge batches of this and freeze it!! That's house popular it is!! Time: 45 minutes prep + 45 minutes baking Yield: Two 9x13 pans 2 lbs ground beef 1  -48 oz jar spaghetti sauce 1  -16 oz package egg noodles 2 T butter 1/2 t onion salt (or onion powder) 1/2 t garlic salt (or garlic powder) 1/2 C grated Parmesan cheese 1  -12 oz pck mozzarella cheese                             1. In a large skillet brown your meat. Add the spaghetti sauce and sugar to the meat and simmer for 20 minutes. 2. While the sauce is just a simmering away get busy cooking your noodles. You don't want to over cook them. Cooking them "al dente" is best. If you don't speak Italian...do not fret. Al Dente just means cook them so they are still just a bit firm in the middle. You don't want a soggy noodle, folks. Now, don't you feel refined and educated to have learned a bit of Italian today. Pat your self on the back, you deserve it.  3. When the noodles are done, drain them, place them in a large bowl and toss with the butter, salts, and Parmesan cheese.  4. In each pan layer sauce, noodles, sauce and sprinkle the mozzarella cheese on top. 5. Cover with foil and bake for at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

Pizza Pinwheels

• 1 can (8oz) Pillsbury Crescent Dinner Rolls - Garlic Butter flavor
• 1 cup pizza sauce
• 1/4 cup pepperoni - diced
• 1/2 cup Mozzarella cheese - finely shredded
• 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese - grated

Directions

1. Unroll dough and take 2 pieces 4 long rectangles.

2. Spread 1 TBS pizza sauce onto each rectangle and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

3. Add Mozzarella cheese, then pepperoni to each rectangle and spread evenly.

4. Roll up each of the rectangles, pressing the edges to seal.

5. With a knife, cut each roll into slices and place cut side down on cookie sheet.

6. Bake at 350 degrees for 12 to 15 minutes until golden brown.

7. Remove from oven, cool and serve with pizza sauce or your favorite dipping sauce.

 

Cherry Pie Bites

 

Ingredients:

1 (21 oz.) can Cherry Pie Filling

2 tubes crescent roll dough

1 cup powdered sugar

1-2 tbsp. milk

 

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375F degrees.

Spray regular muffin tin with nonstick cooking spray.

Unroll individual crescent roll dough pieces and lay them in individual tins.  Put the widest bit of the dough in the bottom.  You may have to do this in two batches if you only have the one muffin tin.

 

Scoop pie filling into each crescent roll dough piece.  Be generous with the pie filling.

It's okay if a little seeps out during baking. I actually like when you can see the bit of pie filling bubbling out while baking. It also lets folks see what they are gonna be eating before then even bite into it. You want to bite into these and get a nice taste of the cherry filling. Because remember, the dough is really gonna puff up around these.  A good 3 to 4 heaping tablespoons should work. I'm guessing about 6 or so cherries in each one.

 

Start folding the dough around the filling as best you can. You should have three corners to pull in.

Again, leaving small open gaps are totally okay here. The filling doesn't have to be totally covered.  

 

Bake for about 13-14 minutes.

 

Note: Make sure the rolls are cooked all the way. You don't want to bite into these and still have some of the crescent roll be doughy and not totally baked. They should be fairly firm to the touch and have nice, tan-brown tops. 14 Minutes was just about right in my oven. They appeared done at the 12 minute mark but I let them go just a bit longer to make sure they were totally done.

 

Now for the glaze.  In a bowl, whisk together powdered sugar and milk until it is smooth reaches a desired consistency (I like mine a bit more on the thick side).

 

With a spoon, drizzle glaze over the warm bites.

 

Apple Dumplings

 

 

 

 

Ingredients:

1 Green Apple (Granny Smith or Golden Delicious)

1 tube (8 oz.) Crescent Rolls

1 stick unsalted butter, melted

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Ground Cinnamon (to taste)

1/2 cup lemon lime soda (Sprite or Mountain Dew work good)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350F degrees

Peel and core apples. Cut apple into 8 slices.

Unroll tube of crescent rolls and separate into 8 pieces.

On each roll, sprinkle with a bit of cinnamon.

Add one apple slice.

Roll it up in a nice little bundle. Continue with next 7 rolls the same way.

Spray an 8-inch square pan with nonstick spray.

Place all 8 dumplins into baking dish.

Mix together melted butter with sugar and vanilla.

Pour butter mixture on top of crescent rolls.

Now take soda and pour it around the edges of the crescent rolls.

Sprinkle tops with a bit more cinnamon.

Bake in preheated oven for about 35-40 minutes.

Serve with whipped cream or ice cream.

Cook's Notes: Just double the recipe and use a 13x9 pan for 8 servings.

Spiced Pumpkin Pie Dip

Ingredients:

1-15oz can of pumpkin puree (not pie filling)

4 oz cream cheese, softened (I used 1/3 less fat)

½ cup of packed brown sugar (dark or light)

2 teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice

1 teaspoon cinnamon

¼ cup of chopped pecans (optional)

¾ cup of mini marshmallows

Apple slices for serving

Graham crackers for serving

 

directions:

Preheat oven to 350°.

In a bowl of an electric mixer, beat cream cheese with paddleattachment until soft and creamy. Add pumpkin, brown sugar, pecans (if using), pumpkinpie spice and cinnamon; mix on medium speed until incorporated.

Spoon the mixture into a 2 cup baking or gratin dish. Topwith mini marshmallows and bake in the oven 12-15 minutes. Serve the dip warmwith apple slices and graham crackers.

The dip can be mixed ahead of time (without topping withmarshmallows) and stored in the refrigerator until ready to bake. Simply takethe dip out of the fridge, top with marshmallows, pop it in the oven and increase baking time by about5-7 minutes. Just watch the marshmallows to make sure they don’t burn.

Enjoy!

The Best way to remove wax from votive holders

I’m a woman who loves beautiful things, but not at an extra cost (if I can avoid it!). I have a ton of glass votives and they are all soot filled with wax, ranging from 1/4 inch -1 inch full of wax. I could be completely lazy and materialistic and toss the old and go buy myself new ones, but I don’t feel right in my soul to waste these perfectly beautiful pieces of glass for my laziness. So then I went googling and found this..

1. Put them in the Freezer
DISCLAIMER:he FREEZER METHOD DOES NOT WORK IF YOU HAVE A VOTIVE WITH A GLUED WICK. If your wick is glued to the bottom of the votive then this is what you get as a result… a mess. Time to move on…

2.Put it in hot water ~ I was worried about what this hot water method would do to my pots, but to be honest…. I placed the votives in the pot, in the sink, and filled it with super hot tap water.
After 5 minutes I could remove the votives from the pan and easily scoop out the wax. Finish washing out residue with soapy hot water. **NOTE** Do not use boiling water. Why? Well, 1) you risk the glass shattering under the extreme temperature, and 2) you do not want to melt the wax, just soften it enough to scoop it out. If you melt the wax to a liquid state in your boiling water and then dump it down the drain, you will end up with a clogged drain.

3.Put it in the Oven:
Line a baking sheet with foil making sure the edges of the pan is covered. Turn the votives upside down on the foil. Place the baking sheet in the oven and turn it on to 200 degrees. In about 15 minutes all the wax will be melted out. Remove each votive with a hot pad and wipe out the remaining wax with paper towel, then wash with soapy water if needed. This oven method worked fine, but I didn’t like the strong smell it left in my kitchen and I was using non-scented wax.

Meatloaf ~ Super easy!

You will need:


2lb.  lean ground beef

1pkg.  (6 oz.) STOVE TOP Stuffing Mix for Chicken         

1cup  water         

2eggs, beaten                  1/2 cup kraft bbq sauce divided in 2

 

PLACE meat, stuffing mix, water, eggs and 1/4 cup barbecue sauce in bowl.  

Mix until blend  
SHAPE into loaf in 13x9-inch baking dish.
TOP with remaining barbecue sauce. Bake 1 hour or until done (160ºF

     

Cheesy-Stuffed Garlic Butter Crescents

This is soooo easy.. and great if your having spaghetti!

1 tube crescent rolls
4 string cheeses, cut in half
2 tablespoons salted butter
1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 small clove garlic, minced

:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line baking sheet with parchment paper or silicone baking mat and set aside.

In a small bowl, melt butter together with Italian seasoning and garlic.

Pop open crescent rolls and separate into triangles. Brush the tops with some garlic butter. Place half a string cheese at the wide end and roll up. Brush the tops with more garlic butter and bake 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Serve warm.

Bacon Ranch Dip

 

This is great for a party! Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1 cup (8 ounces) 0% fat Greek Yogurt
1 cup grated reduced-fat Cheddar
4 slices bacon, fried and crumbled
2 tablespoons ranch seasoning mix (homemade or a packet)
chips, veggies, or pretzels for dipping

Directions:

In a medium sized bowl, combine the yogurt, cheddar, bacon, and ranch seasoning. Stir to combine. Refrigerate 30 minutes before serving to allow the flavors to meld.
Serve with chips, veggies, or pretzels for dipping.

Special K Bars

Special K Bars

 

1 cup white corn syrup

1 cup sugar

1 1/2 cups peanut butter

6 cups Special K cereal

1 cup semisweet chips

1 cup butterscotch chips

 

Over low heat, cook syrup and sugar together, just until sugar dissolves.  Add peanut butter and stir until melted.  Put cereal in a large mixing bowl and pour sugar/peanut butter mixture over cereal.  Mix well and press into a 9x13 pan.  For topping, melt both kinds of chips together in microwave (in short intervals until melted) and spread over cereal mixture.  Allow topping to set before cutting into bars.

How a wedding photographer/wedding planner plans her own wedding....

This is a new series that I wanted to start... I wanted to show you my frustrations, my decisions and my excitement for my wedding day. However I wanted to start it not to early and reveal all my secrets.

I got engaged on June 30, 2012. I instantly started the planning process.. I knew what I wanted... and what I didn't want. I am a wedding photographer. I have been one for almost 7 years now. I am also a certified wedding planner. Its tough planning your own wedding....

Today my topic will be wedding photography. I want to tell you who I chose and why I chose them. This seemed to be the first question everyone asked. Who's gonna do your wedding???

There were a lot of photographers that I loved. There are many in miramichi and a few outside of miramichi that I wanted. My very first choice was my friends and fellow photographers Matt and Chera Yorke (www.yorkephotography.com) I wanted them so bad. However when your ranked as one of Canada's Top Photographers its not that easy. My budget however didn't like them so much.... They are the sweetest couple and recommend them to anyone!!

My next choice and was also one of my first choices too. I really want people to know that. Was my good friend and confidant Tracy Waye Kelly. A few years ago Tracy took me under her wings and showed me the ins and outs of the wedding business. I knew that I wanted Tracy. I knew that my visions of my wedding was safe in her hands.

I looked around at other photographers in MIramichi. I have made so many friends with and loved all their work. But I just kept coming back to Tracy.

While on my search for a photographer I found many other photographers whom I began to fall in love with their work. Then I found this girl and loved what I was seeing! Her name is Allison Taylor. and so I thought maybe because I liked her work that I would get her to take out engagement photos. She did an amazing job!

 

my tips for looking for a photographer

 

1. Look at every one that you like and what you like about there photos

2. Envision what you want your wedding photos to look like

3. talk with the photographers you like and see if they have the same vision

4. Follow your gut!

5. look at their price and make sure it fits yours!!

 

 

 

Pumpkin Sheet Cake

pumpkin... I LOVE pumpkin... here is a quick and easy and delish recipe for pumpkin cake! Enjoy!!



2 cups all-purpose flour

2 tsp. baking powder

2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1 tsp. baking soda

1/4 t. salt

4 eggs

1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin

1 2/3 cups granulated sugar

1 cup cooking oil

 

 

Frosting:

 

11 oz. cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup butter, softened

1 tsp. almond extract

2 cups powdered sugar

 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt.  Set aside.

 

In a large mixing bowl, beat together eggs, pumpkin, sugar and oil.  Add flour and beat until well-combined.  (I just used a whisk for this.) Spread batter into jelly roll pan.  (I sprayed the pan with cooking spray).  Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.  Cool completely.

 

FROSTING:  In a medium mixing bowl, beat together the cream cheese, butter and vanilla until fluffy.  Gradually add powdered sugar, beating until smooth. Frost cake and store covered in refrigerator.

did you know chalk can do this???

I had no idea that chalk can be this useful!


http://www.onegoodthingbyjillee.com/2013/08/21-smart-uses-for-chalk.html

Fresh Strawberry Cake

this is cake is amazing!! I think one of my new go to cakes!!

You will need

1 cup crushed strawberries

1  White cake mix

1 (4 serving size) strawberry jello mix

4 eggs, lightly beaten

1 cup vegetable oil

1/4 cup water

 

Icing:

1/2 block cream cheese

1/3 cup butter

2 cups icing sugar

1 tsp vanilla

1 tbsp. milk

 

slice strawberries and, using a fork mash them until they resemble a puree.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Grease or spray 9x13 pan
Stir together cake mix and dry Jell-O powder.
Add oil, water, eggs and 1 cup of pureed strawberries. Mix thoroughly, about 2 minutes on medium.
Pour evenly into prepared pans. Bake for 18 – 20 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean.
Cool for 10 minutes in pan then remove to cooling rack


Then mix icing together until thick. Icing cake once cooled and top with strawberries

Boston Cream

Boston Cream Pie Poke Cake
Ingredients:
1 box yellow cake mix
Ingredients called for on cake mix (eggs, oil and water)
2 (3.4 oz) boxes instant Vanilla or French Vanilla pudding
4 cups milk
1 container chocolate frosting (or your favorite homemade chocolate frosting)
Directions:

Make cake mix according to directions and bake in a well-greased 9×13 pan.
When cake is finished baking and is still warm, poke holes all over cake using a wooden spoon handle or other similar size object (you want those holes fairly big so the pudding has room to get in there and you need to poke straight through to the bottom of the cake).
In a medium bowl, add milk to pudding mixture and continue to whisk until most of the lumps are removed. Pour pudding on top of warm cake, making sure to pour straight into the holes in the cake.
Take a spoon and spread it evenly across the top of the cake (very gently press down pudding to ensure that pudding goes into the holes and spread it all the way to the sides).
Put cake in fridge and allow to cool completely before adding the frosting (about 2 hours).
Remove the lid and foil covering from the tub of chocolate frosting and microwave for about 10-15 seconds. Stir frosting with a spoon- it should still be thick, but pourable. Pour chocolate frosting on top of pudding.
Spread frosting to evenly cover cake. Start in the middle and gently spread to the sides. Allow to cool on the counter for a few minutes, then put into the fridge to fully cool and set up.

Cheese Stuffed Bacon Wrapped Hot Dogs?

looks good eh?Cut your hot dogs down the middle but not all the way to the ends.  Stuff with the cheese of your choice.  I chose swiss. Wrap with two pieces of bacon and secure with a toothpick.  Barbecue until you reach your desired doneness

Choosing a watermelon

taking direction from The Food Channel I look for these five things:

1.  I look for watermelons that are nicely shaped and ones that feel firm.  Make sure that they don’t have any cuts in them either.

2.  Pick your watermelon up to see if it feels “heavy”.  Watermelons are 90% water, so the riper ones will have more water and weigh more

3.  I look for watermelons that have a bright skin and vibrant green color

4.  I used to not pick a watermelon that has a yellow side but have since found out that this yellow spot is a good thing and should be creamy looking.  This is where it laid on the ground to ripen instead of being picked too early.

5.  When “thumping” your watermelon, a solid sound means it’s not ripe enough, if it’s too ripe, it will sound thick but if it sounds hollow, that’s the one you want!

 

 

Cold Veggie PIzza

I have made this a few times and love it!!

 

 

Ingredients:

 2 packages crescent rolls
 1/2 cup mayonnaise
 1/2 package ranch dressing mix
 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
Grated cheese 
  Suggested Vegetables: cauliflower, diced broccoli, diced zucchini, diced carrot, finely grated celery, diced red peppers or green pepper, diced green onion, cut tomato, diced
  Instructions:
 Roll out then press down your crescent rolls into a jelly roll pan with sides.
Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Blend together mayonnaise, dressing mix and the softened cream cheese until smooth and creamy. Spread over cooled crust:Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Blend together mayonnaise, dressing mix and the softened cream cheese until smooth and creamy. Spread over cooled crust:
Then just start layering whatever veggies you have chosen over the entire crust - garnish with a little grated cheese and it will make a beautiful masterpiece like this:Then just start layering whatever veggies you have chosen over the entire crust - garnish with a little grated cheese and it will make a beautiful masterpiece