Shut the FRONT Door!!!!!!!!!!!

I am starting to have a bit of a panic attack y'all!!!

Did you know it is 98 DAYS until Christmas!!!!  98 DAYS!!  Where has this year gone?!?!?!?  This is just craziness to me y'all!

That means it is just 76 days until my SWEET BABY B turns 2!!!  Those 2 years went by in the blink of an eye y'all!!  He is turning into such a little man!

Now, back to this Christmas stuff y'all...............are you one of those people that wait until December 24th to get your shopping done?  Or maybe, you are the person that shops all year long, and REMEMBERS where you hide things, to help spread out your spending.  Or maybe, just maybe, you are one of those NUTS like myself that LOVES shopping on BLACK FRIDAY!!!!

I am telling y'all there is nothing like it!!!  The rush of a good sale...............the exhaustion for days later............the LACK of Christmas spirit!!!!  I mean really............who wouldn't want to do it?!?!?!!?  LOL

No, honestly, I do enjoy Black Friday shopping but there for a while the fun was gone.  But now that B is here and kids toys ARE NOT CHEAP.......you do what you can to get things on sale!! 

I am not one of those people that goes to the store and "camps out" on the sidewalk until the stores open.  I am not THAT NUTS!  I just try to get some sleep and then wake up really early (around 3 am) and head out to find the good deals!! 

I shop until about 3-4 in the afternoon and try to get everyone on my list done and then I am DONE with all my shopping!!!  There have been a couple of years that I have said, I will be done shopping by Halloween so I don't have to fight the crowd and worry about all this. But that NEVER happens and frankly I don't think it ever will!!!

With B's birthday the first part of December it is hard to do his shopping too far ahead anyway because I always just want to give it to him right away!!!  So it is better for me to just shop closer to the event!!!

Back to the present time, I am LOVING this weather we are having right now!! It finally feels like fall y'all!!!!  That means pumpkin patches and hot chocolate and hay rack rides and football season is in full swing!!! 

Going to try to take B to the Howell's Pumpkin Patch pretty soon before it gets too cold out and get him a great pumpkin!!!  Not sure if he will be trick or treating this year.............I certainly don't need to be eating the candy and neither does he!!!!!  I love going to their place for pumpkins!!!  They are really nice people and very family oriented!

I will get pictures posted as soon as we get that accomplished!!!  As always, don't forget to stop by and say hi at Breakfast Delights this Saturday for Market!!  This is the best time to head down for Saturday mornings.  The weather is PERFECT and it isn't too crowded!!!

Piece & Chicken Grease Y'all!!!!

P. S.  New adventure......................Trying water fitness this week as a workout..........I will keep y'all posted as to how that is going!!!! 

FRUSTRATED!!!

As I sit here tonight getting this post ready for y'all, I can't tell you how frustrated I am about so many things in my life!!

There are some things that you just don't have any control over and worrying and stewing over them isn't going to make anything better.  So, I am really trying to just let it go..............well the best I can anyway!!

But somethings I feel like I am not doing enough or there should be something I can do..........but what?!?! 

Our house has been for sale for what feels like FOREVER!!!!!!!!  I bought this house before I even got married or had B.  It was perfect for a single gal starting out in her first home.  But having a little one around, it just isn't working out anymore!

Now, I am telling y'all we have done what feels like EVERYTHING to try to get this house sold.  We even buried a St. Joseph statue in the back yard (a patron saint of workers and carpenters in the Catholic church).  I know what y'all are going to say.....................but the believe is that if you bury St. Joseph in your back yard, and pray over it, your house will sell quickly.

Well, I am here to tell y'all................IT DOES NOT HAPPEN!!!!!!!!  We did that two years ago and I am not sure what time frame we are working on here but my quickly is a little bit sooner that that!!

Here is a picture of our beautiful house.  I pray every night that someone will just come along and want to buy it right away and it will be the house they have been looking for all their life!!! 

I pray about this, I put flyers out, I put it on Facebook, craigslist, it is out on the internet..............so now I am asking you, my AMAZBALLS readers...........PLEASE help us sell our house!!!

If you know ANYONE that is looking for a house to buy send them this link! House for Sale

Like I said earlier, there are many frustrations in my life right now that I can't really do much about.  The way other people act, I can't do anything about that.  But this is something I can do something about. 

I can also so something about the way I look and feel, and I am going to change that as well!  I have the Brew Mile race coming up in a couple of weeks and I am going to be walking to get ready for that.  No running right now, but walking is better than sitting on the couch, right?  If y'all haven't gotten signed up for the Brew Mile please do so!!! It is going to be AMAZBALLS!!!

Piece & Chicken Grease Y'all!!

This and alota THAT!!

Well y'all it was another BUSY weekend for Mama Nellie!

I started out by going to see a very good movie on Friday night.  It is called the Butler and it has Oprah in it.  She does a very good job and it is based off a true story.  If you have time to go see it, you should!!

Then Saturday was the big day y'all!!  FOOTBALL SATURDAY! It was a little bit hot but I was there with my daddy and we were watching football!  What more could you ask for!??

I even got a tan line from my sunglasses.....that looks so nice y'all!

We left the house at about 6:15 a.m. and got home about 6:30 p.m. and I was one tired mama!!  But it was totally worth it y'all!

Sunday was another new adventure for me! I went to an auction with my parents in Adel and had A BLAST!!!

I got some VERY cool stuff y'all and it was DIRT CHEAP!!!  If y'all haven't been to one of these lately you should go!  Here are just a few things I found:

This little gem was a STEAL!!  The bowl and pitcher was $30 and the buffet was $30.  I looked online and the bowl and pitcher alone are being sold for $325 right now!!

This mirror and dresser piece cost me all of $10!!

This cost me all of $10 as well!!

I got a few more odds and ends as well.  I got a couple of quilts one that was all pieced together just needs quilted is all for $10!!  Talk about BARGAIN SHOPPING!!!  There were a couple of other things that I really wanted but they went a little higher than I wanted to spend.

My mom and I will be hitting another auction this Sunday!!  They don't have as much furniture but you never know! We just might find something we can't live without!! :)

Piece & Chicken Grease Y'all!!

Football.......Not just for Men

As y'all know I am a HUGE fan of college football!!

My favorite season of the year is fall because that is when college football is in full swing and I love the weather outside.  I am not a huge fan of it getting darker outside earlier but I love the leaves turning and the crisp air!!

Well Saturday morning I get the PRIVILEGE of going to my first game of the season with one of my FAVORITE men EVER!!!!  MY DADDY!!!

We are going to the Iowa vs. Missouri State game at Kinnick Stadium and I am as giddie as a kid on Christmas morning!! My daddy doesn't drink so there won't be much tailgateing for us but we love to walk around and take in all the sites of the tailgaters! 

My favorite part before the game even starts is watching the players get off the bus and go into the stadium.  It just gets me SO excited for the game and I usually get teary eyed!! I know...........I'm such a girl!!!

As soon as we go inside and find our seats (we don't have season tickets so usually don't have the same seats every time) I have butterflies the whole time watching the boys warm up!!

Now that I have been to the Ladies Football Academy I feel like I have a better understanding of what those boys go through on Saturday's before the game.  Don't get me wrong y'all, I have NO IDEA what they really go through as far as playing in a game but, I was getting nervous, and I don't play!!!

Now let me help you understand a little bit of how things go for those of you who have never gotten the privilage of going to Kinnick!

The stadium starts pounding and is SO loud you can't even hear your own heart beating!!!  AC/DC starts playing Back in Black and up on the big screen..................The boys in Black and Gold are coming down the tunnel! 

I have goosebumps and butterflies in my stomach!

There they are.................just outside the tunnel waiting to swarm the field!  My FAVORITE part.......the video on the big screen.  The semi truck driving down I-80 runs over the mascot of the opposing team! 

The crowd goes NUTS!!! 

The whole team runs out onto the field and IT IS GAME TIME BABY!!!!!!!!!!!

Even if I am not able to make it to Kinnick I LOVE watching college football in general.  This year, we decided to make some cutbacks and don't have cable tv.  So with that being said, football is limited to about 1 game and that is all.  Unless, going to a bar to watch is in the agenda! 

My other team of choice to watch are the Oregon Ducks!  I just love watching them play because they have such a fast team and a hurry up offense.  Now that there head coach went to the NFL, things might be different.  Chip Kelly, you will be missed by me anyway!   

Anyway, y'all have a safe and happy weekend! Be safe and enjoy some FOOTBALL!!!! 

GO HAWKS!!

Piece and Chicken Grease Y'all!!!

Hello Laaaaddddyyyy!!!!

Have you ever looked in the mirror and thought to yourself............GROSS!!!!!!!!  Who the HELL is that and when did she get here!?!?!?!

As y'all know I have always struggled with my weight but it seems to be worse now then ever! I went to the doctor today for a check up and I was the heaviest I have been in a very long time! I did really well when I was on Medifast (weight loss meals) but I just can't stick with them.  For one thing they are expensive to stay on. For another, I LOVE FOOD!!! 

I was watching a show tonight on T.V. that really got me thinking.  It was called Extreme Makeover Weight loss and it was a HUGE eye opener for me.  It isn't just about the food that you eat.  It has to be about the exercise you do as well. It takes hard work to lose the weight and keep it off.  I just don't know if I have the will power to do that! 

When I was in school I hated running but now that I am older it is a HUGE release for me mentally and emotionally.  However, the heavier I get, the harder it is to run.  So I try to keep my weight down but I seem to be under a LARGE amount of stress these days and me plus stress equals weight! Yes I am using that as an excuse and by putting it in this blog I hope it will MAKE me do something about it!

I looked back at some of the pictures that were taken just from the State Fair and I am disgusted at what I see.  I need a change in my life but I am not sure how to go about it.  I try to keep my portions to the correct sizes and not eat fast foods but I know stress is a HUGE issue for me.   

Stress does a lot of crazy things to your body.  I don't usually talk much about it and I like everyone to think that I am doing good, or as I like to say, "I am doing fine."  But the truth of the matter is I am not doing fine.  I am in a deep whole of stress and worry all the time and that does terrible things to your body! 

When you are under a lot of stress and worry you don't sleep well, eat well, or think well.  All three of these things are not good for you or the people around you.  I always try to put on the face that I am handling things well but lets be honest y'all.........................no one can handle everything all the time!! 

So I have decided to search deep within myself and come up with a routine that will work best for me.  I need something that I can do as a mommy with limited time, but still something that will help my mind, body and soul be healthy again!! 

I am not sure what all that means but I will let y'all know when I figure it out.  Like I said before, changing my food habits alone isn't going to cut it! I have to do something else!

Sorry this is kind of a downer post tonight but it is amazing what watching one show on T.V. can do for you!

Piece and Chicken Grease Y'all!!!

Canning.........New Adventure

Y'all know by now that I am a farm girl and I love to try new things.  Well, I tried something new for me but something my mom and dad used to do all the time but haven't done for a couple of years.

Last weekend we canned some green beans, tomato juice, and salsa.  About a month ago they did a HUGE batch of lime pickles (they are AMAZBALLS by the way) and some green beans and decided since they had so many tomatoes ready at once, why not make salsa!

Well we LOVE black bean and corn salsa so why not try to make that!?  Where else do you find a starting point for a recipe than good old Google!  I am telling y'all...........there are a MILLION and one ways to make this stuff and it is all the same thing!!!

So we started the process of canning, first with the green beans.  12 quart was what we finished with and those are really the quickest to can.  Pressure cooker for 20 minutes and you are good to go. 

Now, when it comes to making salsa you first have to get a mix.  So we started with Mrs. Wages.  It is a medium blend that already has some of the spices and things in it that you need for canning salsa.  Then we just decided what we were going to put in the salsa itself.  We opted to used sweet corn on the cob so we had to cook it first.

Let me tell y'all................deciding to do this when it is about 97 degrees outside wasn't one of our brighter moves!!  It gets pretty hot in the kitchen when you have ALL 4 BURNERS going!!!

I got this sweet new slicer/cutter that my parents bought me at the fair so we decided to try it out for our canning adventure!  It is called the Miracle Kitchen Plus and it works like a CHAMP!!

My mom wanted to try to make some corn relish.  This is the stuff you usually find on the salad bar at a restaurant. I LOVE it and so does my dad so we thought SURE!  So........to GOOGLE we go and found a simple recipe to try.  Again this one called for corn on the cob so it was going to use some of he same ingredients.  So I started getting all the veggies going, my mom started blanching the tomatoes, and my dad started cutting the corn off the cob to get everything going!

We had quite the assembly line y'all and all I can say is thank goodness B wasn't there to help us! We were pretty good at making our own mess!!!   

So first on the list was the corn relish.  It called for some onion, red pepper, green pepper, cucumber, corn and of course tomatoes. Get all those cut up and mixed together then there is a mix that you put over it while it cooks down for an hour to thicken up.

With the corn already cooked we started in on the black bean and salsa side.  This is the one that has the package of Mrs. Wages medium salsa and the tomatoes.  In goes the other ingredients and onto the stove it goes!

Remember y'all we have two things cook'n AND beans canning!! It was a hot mamma jamma in the kitchen!!

The beans were done and out of the pressure cooker they came to cool.  The corn and black bean salsa (cbb for short) was cooked down and thickened up by now so we could put it in pint jars and hot water bath it!  This is when you just put it in a BIG pot with LOTS of water for 40 minutes or so to let the jar seal and VIOLA you are DONE!!

Two batches later the CBB is done and the corn relish is ready to jar up and go!  Now this didn't turn out like we thought it would.  It doesn't look anything like it does on the salad bar but let me tell you, there truly are such things as a HAPPY ACCIDENT!!! This stuff is AMAZBALLS!!!

Both batches of corn relish are done and we think........What the heck, all the stuff is out, why not just keep going! SO, we decided to make some tomato juice for this winter for chili while we were at it!

Once we were finished we had 14 quarts 2 pints of tomato juice and 10 of each of the corn salsa's. 

  It was a blast and I can't wait to do it again!! We are trying to change up our corn relish recipe and will be doing a little different recipe for the CBB this next time!! We also decided to try taking it to the State Fair and see how we do next year! So to make sure it is good.......we are going to keep making it until we run out of tomatoes!!

Happy canning y'all!!

Piece and Chicken Grease Y'all!!

B's Hair Cut!!!

Well we did it y'all. B got his first hair cut EVER!!!  Man did my little boy age in about 10 minutes flat!!

I must say............that was one of the WORST 10 minutes of my life!!  Now, B has had some rough times in his life but it just breaks my heart to hear him cry, ever!  I know what y'all are going to say.  Kids cry that is just part of being a mom, but when it is one of those SCREAMING cries.............this mama doesn't deal well!!

A HUGE thank you to my friend Bridgette for cutting his hair for us!!  She did an amazing job of trying to make it fun and not scary for him but he just wasn't having it!  She had cartoons on for him when we got there and a cute little cape for him and everything.  B didn't think ANY of it was fun from the beginning!  She cut while he screamed and threw his head around and I was impressed she could do that while he was moving so much!!

Once he got sorta used to the whole cutting of the hair thing, she got out the trimmers and that totally freaked him out again!!  So then it was back to the screaming again!  Let me tell ya 10 minutes seems like FOREVER y'all when your son is screaming and crying!!

Good news, he got his first hair cut out of the way and it is done.  Bad news, mommy misses his curls and his hair will NEVER be that way again!! I never used to like my curly hair but now that I am older I love it!!  My daddy has curly hair, I have it and that was always something B had of mine!  Now it is gone!!!

I must tell y'all I cried almost the whole way home but I know it is just hair and there are worse things in life, right?  So I got it out of my system and I am fine now.  I just can't believe how fast my baby boy is growing up!!  He does have a little bit of wave and curl to his hair still but I would doubt there will ever be a day that his hair will be long enough to see it!

So here y'all go.............the new ADORABLE B!!

Not the best pictures but he was DONE with everyone by the time we were finished!