Fall Hydrangea Wreath Tutorial

I'm not really into decorating my house for the different holiday seasons (fall, Christmas etc). It's not that I dont want to but, because we're a military family and we move around so much, I just think it woul sort ofd be a lot of extra stuff to truck around from place to place. Things also get broken and depending on the new place, I may or may not have the space to keep all of my decorations. So I just kind of dont get into the whole thing, but this year, I'm sort of feeling the bug!! I see all the decorations on different blogs and in the stores and I'm feeling a bit inspired. I looked on Pinterest for some fall ideas and I saw this wreath someone pinned by Twoinspireyou, her etsy shop can be found here : 

http://www.etsy.com/listing/104077670/autumn-wreaths-fall-wreath-fall-decor


This is the one that was pinned on Pinterest

 The seller is selling them for a pretty penny and I wasn't prepared to pay so I decided to try and recreate it myself, the directions are below:

Materials:    Flowers ( I got mine for 50% off at Micheals , they are Hydrangeas)
                      Hot Glue Gun
                      Wire Cutters  
                      Wreath ( I used a grapevine wreath from Micheals it was $4.99)
                      Ribbon (for hanging)
                      Wreath Hanger ( or command strip hooks)
                      (* the number of flowers you need, depend on how big your wreath is, kind of
                           play around with them in the store. I used 9 for my project 3 of each color)

Directions:

1.  Use wire cutters to remove the flowers from the stem all flowers. Leave about an inch or so on the flower so you can anchor it in the wreath. The leaves pull right off..easy peasy.

 2. Play around with the arrangement, buy sticking the flowers in the wreath, to kind of see where how you want to your wreath to look. Then once you have come up with the design go back and use your hot glue gun to glue the flowers in place.

3. Once the flowers are in place you can stop there or go a step further and your leaves in to the final look below. Once your leaves are in place, you can add your ribbon and voila , your done.

Here is mine already hanging on my door, its sooooo easy.  I plan on making another one for Christmas using red instead of brown. I originally wanted to use the pumpkin orange colored hydrangeas for this project but my store only had one left, so I was out of luck.



 So let me know if you guys decide to try your hand a wreath making. I hope to do many more projects as well. I may record myself making the next one, for those who need a more detailed tutorial.  Also are any of you decorating for the fall?? If so I would love to see pics, as well as pics from this project if you decide to make one.

The cost for this project was around $30 dollars, a lot cheaper than the ones on Etsy. Make sure tho, that you get the flowers when they are on sale!!!

Be Blessed

Are You Registered To Rock The Vote???

Does Your Environment Produce Success???

Well I finally did it, my very first youtube video..Enjoy!!

Are You Prepared?



Garrapata State Park, California

  On the weekends we try to spend quality family time together, making memories is how I see it, and most of the time we end up doing stuff like playing board games, going to the beach, watching movies etc. This time we decided to a something a bit different like going for a hike. We had never been on real hike before and we didn’t know what to expect but we very excited and anxious about this new adventure.


I being the over prepared person that I am decided to do some research on hiking. I looked up what to wear, what to expect, what to pack etc. I googled the park we were going to and looked a reviews posted by other see what they had to say about it. After I finished researching, I then passed along the information to family so we could all plan and pack accordingly. We made sure we wore the right kind of shoes and packed enough water a lunch and purchased a small traveling first aid kit just in case we had any accidents.

The trip went great. It started out kind of chilly but we all had some sort of jacket that we later had to shed because just like the information I read online said, the weather can be unpredictable in the mountains, it heated up quickly. We went up some pretty steep and tricky hills but because we had the right shoes we were able to climb with no problem. Once we got to the top we were all pretty tired and hungry, so the lunches we packed came in handy as well as the hats, because there was no shade at the top. We fueled back up and make the trip back down. The whole thing went off without a hitch.

In thinking back on our trip, I am reminded of  Ephesians 6:10-18, where we read, "Take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand". Paul talks about putting on the whole armor of God, the helmet, breast plate, shield, sword , belt and shoes. This armor is , this spiritual equipment is whats going to help us when Satan tries to attack us! Its here for us a made available to us, but its up us to USE them and to learn how to use them effectively. I mean really, whats the point in putting all of this on and not know how to use it. Thats why its important for us to be prepared, to study the word ( 2Tim. 2:15) and learn to pray so when trials come we are able to handle them.

I was prepared for my trip, I studied and I was doer of what I read. That preparation made for an amazing time with my family. That same feeling of peace and victory can be realized in our spiritual walk as well, but we must be prepared. Prepared to pray, prepared to stand, prepared to win!!

Many of us are embarking on new journeys in our lives everyday. God has called  some us to do some extraordinary things for the kingdom, like teaching, singing, preaching etc. So the question is, What are you doing to prepare for what God wants you to do?

Are we studying, praying, hearing, doing? Will you be ready when you are released?

Those are just a few questions that I asked myself in my devotion today. I hope you will be blessed and encouraged on today.

We made it to the top (1hr trip up)

Dad and the kids about halfway up

Menu Planning

Do you guys menu plan or something like it??? Menus really help take the stress out of cooking and also keeps the kids and hubby from driving you crazy by asking, "whats for dinner" fifty million times. They also help me keep things organized and that really helps eliminate stress in my life. There are so many things that happen ( unannounced )our lives that throw us off, that its good to be able to control some things in our homes.lol.
I tend to take the planning approach when it comes to a lot of things in my life, my husband has a saying that he uses when talking about planning, he says, "Planning Prevents Piss Poor Performance"...lol. Thats the Navy talk in him so I guess, you can take it how you want it..lol. I 100% agree with that proverb..lol. I believe things run a whole lot smoother when you have taking the time to prepare. So with that being said, I am going to share with you how I prepare menus for the week.

For me I start with a basic plan , the bones I call it, and that looks something like this: 

Monday- Chicken
Tuesday- Seafood
Wednesday- Beef
Thursday- Pasta
Friday- Homemade Pizza Nite/Out for dinner (in this instance pizza is on Sat.)
Saturday- Leftover Buffet/ kids choice
Sunday- Seafood

Now this like I said is just the bones, I later go in and add the meat (no pun intended). This requires some work, I check the frezzer and pantry to see what I have and then I can sort of narrow it down to what I want to cook for the week. I also enlist the help of my family by asking them if they want anything special this week (thats a big help!)





The Ingram Pantry :)


Once I have taken an assessment of whats in the freezer and pantry then I look for recipes online and in cookbooks so I can then start making my grocery list for the week. You can also look for coupons to go along with your shopping list as well.So the menu may end up looking something like this:

Monday: Lemon Pepper Chicken, Rice and Broccoli
Tuesday: Shrimp Stuffed Bell Peppers (leftover rice)
Wednesday: Meatball Subs, Salad
Thursday: Italian Chicken and Pasta/Garlic Bread/Salad
Friday: Pizza Nite (movie night)
Saturday: Leftover Buffet (backup meal: Turkey Chili/ Rice/Cornbread
Sunday: Beef Steak/Roasted Herb Potatoes/ Green Beans

*we also have a dessert like cookies , ice cream, cake etc. I cook that on Sundays for the week.




Some of my GO TO cookbooks that I keep out

 Do I stick with the menu , all the time NOOOOOOOOOOO!! Yes things come up and I may have to eat out or switch meals around but , its so easy to do this and get back on track if you already have a system in place. I hope this helps you guys to prepare for less stress. It may seem like a lot of work in the beginning but after a few times you will see just how much easier life can be when you have a little order in your life.
Menu planning can save you:

• Time ( you waste time wondering aimlessly up and down the aisles trying to figure out what to cook)
• Money (you wont grab things you dont need or rebuy something you already have, because you checked your pantry before you left.)
• Headache ( literally..lol i say this because cooking at home, is healthier than eating out, you know exactly what your putting into your meals and you can add and take way things as you see fit)



My grocery list

 Be Blessed.

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So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him. (Matthew 24:44)

Shrimp Stuffed Bell Peppers

We went to the farmers market on Sunday after church and they had a good deal on green bell peppers, they were 3 for a $1. It was the perfect opportunity to make stuffed bell peppers, but not your ordinary stuffed peppers, we decided to kick it up a notch and stuff them with shrimp...ummm, the recipe is below

What I used:  Butter :), better than bouillon (for broth), cream of chicken soup, onion, celery, garlic, bread crumbs, salad shrimp (I used one small bag),  and bell peppers (duh),

Here I cut my bell peppers in half, seeded them and rinsed them out. Cutting them in half is optional I do this to get more bang for my buck, I end up with 8 servings instead of 4.

Then you would need to parboil them (partially boil) for 2-4 minutes.

In the meantime, saute your garlic, onions, and bell pepper in butter. I also added in about a 1/2 cup of chopped celery..I have a thing for the trinity (bell pepper,onion and celery).

 

Here you add in the shrimp and cook for 3-5 minutes. Then you add in the soup and the 1/2 cup of chicken broth, mix well and let cook for a few more minutes then season to taste. I could not, for the life of me find cream of shrimp soup anywhere so I used what I had cream of chicken and it turned out great.

Here are the seasonings I used, but you can use whatever you have on hand.

Add in bread crumbs next, I added 1/2 cup at a time until I got the consistency I liked, yours may be thicker or thinner than mine. Its really about preference at this stage.

Then stuff your peppers!!! I followed the directions and cooked them for 45 minutes, but I wanted them a little bit browner so I cooked them a tad bit longer. Then I added the cheese and broiled them and VOILA...omg this was a great meal. I am used to using rice when I stuff peppers, but since this recipe didnt call for any we had some on the side. The family LOVED it, I will definitely add this to my arsenal and probably tweak it here and there over the years. I hope you all like eat..enjoy!!

Serves: 4

Cooking Time: 45 min

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 large onions, diced
• 4 green peppers
• 4 green onions
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 to 4 cups bread crumbs
• 2 pounds shrimp, chopped
• Chicken stock
• 1 can cream of shrimp soup
• Salt, pepper, red pepper, garlic powder and onion powder to taste
• 4 pats of butter
• 1/2 to 1 cup of grated cheese

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
    
2. Cut and dice tops of peppers and clean inside.
    
3. Place diced peppers, onions, and garlic in a large skillet and saute until clear.
    
4. Add shrimp and cook for about 3 to 5 minutes on low-medium heat.
    
5. Add soup (undiluted) and 1/2 cup chicken stock.
    
6. Add seasonings and simmer until shrimp are pink and cooked through.
    
7. When done add bread crumbs to mixture until proper consistency (not mushy, not dry).
    
8. Parboil peppers.
    
9. Spoon mixture into peppers and top with butter and bread crumbs.
    
10. Bake at 350 degrees F for approximately 45 minutes.
     
11. Remove from oven and top with grated cheese and broil until brown.

Cali or Bust!!

The Ingrams have relocated to Monterey, Ca. So far its been great and I hope to be able to blog more while Im here. The hubby and I have had a lot of adventures so far and cant wait to share them with the kids once they get here. The trip was long but flew bye because I was with great company!! My best friend in the world, my man.
We started the first leg of our trip in Mississippi and stopped in Texas, we left the kids there with their grandparents and headed to the wild wild west..lol.

Wichita Falls

Our first upon leaving East Tx was Wichita Falls,Tx (we stopped to stretch and fill up every four hours).  We went to take a look at what this little town was named for, the man made falls.


Prarie Dogs (Amarillo, Tx)

 Our last stop for the night was in Amarillo,Tx where we woke up to these little prarie dogs who, bid us farewell as we left the hotel parking lot.

We drove for about 4 hours and stopped for lunch in New Mexico at this place called Holy Cow that awesome burgers and homemade fries. The fries were the best, they were really homemade they tasted just like the fries I cut up at home. We also started to notice the prices were getting higher and higher the further west we got..lol. I think for a two combos and a side salad we payed close to 24 buck..yep whew for two people and we drank water..lol.

Our next stop for the night was Williams, Arizona, also known as the gateway to the Grand Canyon. We spent the next day at the Canyon but unfortanely all my pictures were lost so you see any of the fabulous breathtaking views we saw :(. The good thing is that we will stop again when we bring the kids home.

We left the canyon that afternoon and headed for Vegas!! We took a quick detour tho and went to look at this massive dam. OMG..talk about a thrill, if you are afraid of height then be warned this stop is not for the faint of heart. I was scared out of my mind!! I hope the kids can handle it , cause I know Dad will bring them here.

We stopped for the night in Vegas, after walking all day at the Canyon, this place wore us out. It was so much going on and so much to do we didnt do anything but walk around and look at the light and water show at the Belagio. This spot is definitly for grown ups, if we stop here , we probaly wont bring the kids to the strip..lol. The city was so busy and this was a week night. But we did it, just to say we did.

We left Vegas the next morning and drove what would seem like forever. We were worn out from the road and just wanted to chill for a bit, so you can imagine our relief when finally arrived to the Bay which would be our home for the next few years.



This is the view from our run one morning while living here on the coast. The views all around this area are amazing but the only thing is its COOOLD. The weather here has been in the high to low  60s and its June, so thats gonna take some getting used to. So far we have traveled around this area quite a bit and visited the Santa Cruz boardwalk and San Jose. We spent last weekend in San Francisco and took a boat tour around Alcatraz. Its been great and we cant wait for the kids to get here and enjoy it with us.