Hailey’s Blog

In an effort to save money and eat healthier, I am going toplan out meals/menus for at least two weeks at a time (I was brave and did 3 weeks this time…but I also have a week of training during the middle of that time period, so I don’t need leftovers for lunch)  :)  So…my list of meals for Aug 10-27 is below…if you want the recipe for any of them, just ask and I’ll be happy to post!

Spaghetti (with ground turkey instead of beef) with Salad

Turkey Burgers (minus the bun ) with Salad and green beans

Pasta with grilled chicken, capers, and artichokes

Taco salad (once again with ground turkey instead of beef)

Beef with Mixed Vegetables and brown rice

Chicken Tikka Masala

Fish Tacos (Using Sirena’s recipe for this one!)

Yes, I realize that there are only 7 meals planned for 15 week days…BUT I am only cooking for one person, so I ALWAYS have left-overs, which I bring to work for lunch…and the week of my training, I will be eating the same thing for dinner every night, I’m sure  :)

At least this should give me some material for “Food Fridays” since I’ve been slacking lately  ;)

*Hugs*

Yes, I know it’s not Friday…but I forgot to blog last Friday, so I’m doing it today.  :)
Last week I made an awesome crock pot meal.  I found a recipe for Mediterranean Pork Chops (ok, so the original recipe called for chicken, but I had pork chops) on the blog, A Year of Slow Cooking.

Ingredients:
-3-4 frozen chicken breast halves*
-bag of frozen artichoke hearts
-half jar of green olives (no juice)**
-large can of tomatoes (and juice)***
- one cup water

* As I said earlier, I didn’t have chicken breasts, so I used boneless pork chops (about 1/2″ thick)
** I used capers – about 4 table spoons, with juice
*** I used a can of diced tomatoes with Basil, Oregano, and Garlic

I also seasoned with a little salt/pepper/and a dash of cayenne.

The Directions:
Put everything in crockpot. Cook on low for 8 hours or high for 4-6.   **My pork chops were frozen solid when I put them in the crock pot, and I cooked on high for 4 hours…they cooked perfectly!

I served this with brown rice.  About 3.5 hours into cooking, I drained off enough of the liquid in the crock pot and used it to cook my rice.  (The original recipe didn’t call for water, but I added it so that I would have enough liquid for the rice).  The rice turned out great, and the pork chop/artichokes didn’t have too much liquid left after I used it!  I’ll definitely make this one again!  …sorry, no picture  :)

So, I am going to do “Food Fridays”…but just not today.  I didn’t cook much this week; Don and Urs fed me ribs and green chile pork stew (which was DELICIOUS), and last night I just did fillets on the grill and saffron rice, so no real recipes there  :)  Next week though, I’ll post!
So, Michael came up on Wednesday afternoon and is putting the rails up on my deck…which I’ve been wanting done for FOREVER!!  They look awesome!!!  We’ve had to replace some of the deck boards b/c we dont’ think it was treated lumber that was used when the actual deck was built, but at least it’s all getting done.  The plan is to let the rails dry out for about two weeks and then HOPEFULLY the weekend of the 25th, I can water seal it all and stain it!  (Not sure if I can convince Mike to help on that project, lol.)  Yesterday didn’t start off too well with the deck building – he got stung 13 times by yellow jackets, so I think I might be pushing it if I try to talk him into anything else right now, ha!  I’ll post pics of the finished product later!

Tonight is Nicole’s wedding rehearsal in Taylor and then the rehearsal dinner is out at Coupland, so it should be fun.  Good food, hopefully good music, and then home at a reasonable time!  :)  Wedding is tomorrow, then Sunday is Michael’s grandma’s 80th B-Day party.  Busy weekend, but the next two should be pretty laid back.  Hope everyone has a great weekend!!!

Oh, and I stole this from S, just a little something to pass the time  :)

ABC’s OF ME:
A-Age: 27
B-Birth date: March 14, 1982
C-Chore you hate: Folding Clothes
D-Dog’s name: Tegan
E-Enter or Exit: Exit
F-Favorite color: Purple
G-Gold or silver: Silver
H-Hair color: Red w/ blonde and dark red high/low-lights

I-Instrument: Fiddle or Pedal Steel Guitar
J-Job Title: Industrial Wastewater Permit Specialist
K-Kids: 0
L-Living arrangements: House w/ a new roomie starting this weekend!  :)
M-Monkey or Moose: Um…both?? 
N-Nicknames: Hai, Hailes, Boog (mom/dad)
O-Odd thing about you: I hate water in my face.  Not even in the shower!  I wash my face after I get out of the shower, using a bathcloth so that water is not splashing in my face.
P-Pet Peeve: Mean people
Q-Quote from a movie: “*gasp*  …you said Fuck!!!”  …you just gotta love the kid from Jerry Maguire!
R-Right/Left Handed: Right
S-Siblings: 0
T-Time you wake up? 6:45 is my wake-up call – alarm goes off at 7…then snooze for a while  :)
U-Underwear: yes
V-Veggie you dislike: Bell Peppers/Mushrooms
W-What makes you run late: Underestimating the time I need to get somewhere – me too, S!
X-X-Rays: teeth and chest
Y-Yummy food you make: Everything!  Lol, umm…turkey and artichoke shells – thanks Karen for that recipe!  :)
Z-Zoo Animal: Tiger

*Hugs*

So, my friend Sirena does a blog every Tuesday called Tasty Tuesdays…so, I decided to steal her idea and do Food Fridays.  I love reading her blog on Tuesdays and getting good recipe ideas!!  We are both trying to cook healthy, so anyone else who is doing the same, start a recipe blog and we can all swap ideas!  :)

I’m going to start out with a recipe I made earlier this week – it was just a trial and thankfully it turned out really good!  (I didn’t take a picture, but I’ll be sure to do so for next week’s recipe!)

Mexican-Style Turkey Meatloaf

Ingredients:
1 lb lean ground turkey breast
1 cup salsa of your choice plus additional salsa for topping(I used Julio’s b/c it’s my absolute fave, and it had the perfect seasonings in it for the meatloaf!)
2 tablespoons taco seasoning (I used the mild verson, but spicier would have been good, too)
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 cup breadcrumbs (I used the plain, unseasoned kind)
3/4 cup cheddar cheese
salt/pepper to taste
cumin (I used probably a teaspoon??)

Mix all ingredients in a bowl – be careful not to over mix b/c then the turkey will get tough.  Put mixture in a loaf pan sprayed with non-stick spray.  Top with additional salsa and bake at 375° for 50-55 minutes, or until meatloaf reaches an internal temperature of 160°.

I had black beans with my meatloaf (just a can of black beans warmed up on the stove with a little garlic salt and cumin added for a little flavor).

Obvs, you could use ground beef as well, but like I said, I’m trying to be healthy  :)

*Hugs*

I stole this from Sirena’s blog…great way to pass the time  :)

8 Things I’m Looking Forward To…
Grad school starting!
Vacation…not sure where to yet, but somewhere!
Getting off work
Things getting taken care of and being able to move forward
Nicole’s Wedding
My new roomie moving in!
Getting a new puppy
George Strait in Houston!  :)

8 Things I Did Yesterday…
Made a blackberry cobbler…yumm!
Went to Target
Worked…as usual
Played on Facebook
Looked at vacation destinations / cruises
Caught up with Mo on events from the weekend
Played on ebay  :)

8 Things I Wish I Could Do…
Take off work for a month!  :)  …right now, a long weekend will make me happy, though!
Go to the gym during the middle of the day
Sell my house and make a chunk of money  :)
Make everyone happy (doubt that’ll happen, though, lol)
Float the river…hopefully in a couple of weeks!
Visit S in Bahrain
Get this stupid berry thorn out of my thumb!
Take a nap

8 Shows I Watch…
The Office
Sex and the City
So You Think You Can Dance
Grey’s Anatomy
Deadliest Catch
Little People, Big World
Brothers & Sisters
Hell’s Kitchen

8 People I Tag…
Whoever wants to do this

So, I haven’t blogged since Memorial Day weekend…yeah, I’ve been slacking…  :)  So, here’s a re-cap of the past few weeks.

Anne’s hubby, Ira, got home from Iraq on Wednesday, June 3.  I went down to Ft. Hood for his Welcome Home Ceremony, and it was awesome!!  It’s just such a great feeling when they make it home safe and sound.  As Anne and I were leaving their neighborhood to go on post, we saw Ira’s plane landing – awesome!  :)  Below are pics from the day:

Anne “patiently” waiting with her recycled sign from OIF 05-07

The guys are HERE!  Marching onto the field!

…CHARGE (Anne was running full speed ahead in wedge heels!)  :)

She was SUPER excited to see her hubby! (obvs)

Too sweet!!  :)

Us hanging out at Anne and Ira’s after the ceremony.

So, that’s been the most exciting thing lately….other than that, just hanging out and enjoying life  :)  Michael and I hung out with Karen, Jess, Autumn, and Graham a few weekends ago…and Auts is gonna be just like her mommy…

She was PISSED when I took the champagne away from her!!! (…and no, I didn’t actually let her DRINK any!)

AND AND AND…my friend Sirena was home from Bahrain for a visit!  Her and her hubby moved over there this past January and only come home about once every six months, so it was great to see her!  We went over to her parents house in Lakeway to hang out…can’t wait until the next time they’re home!  :)

Last weekend, we went to the Grimes County Fair and Rodeo and then saw John Conlee afterwards.  SO.MUCH.FUN.

Me in Linsey’s Rose Colored Glasses, signed by John Conlee…and Me and John Conlee.  :)

Last weekend I also helped my mom get ready for a baby shower for Elizabeth at her house, and we picked blackberries and green beans.  Yay.  We also cleaned corn over at Ricky and Debbie’s (Michael’s parents)…I was just an all-out country girl last weekend…and was lovin’ it with the exception of the mosquito bites ALL OVER my legs!

This weekend I’m heading east again for a bday party tonight for Michael’s cousin, then to mom and dad’s to help out again with the berries and the garden; then Father’s Day lunch with my grandpa on Sunday.  If anyone is in the Shepherd area and wants some blackberries, feel free to go pick…it’ll save me some time!  :)

*Hugs*

Well, I didn’t get a picture of Odis’ famous belt buckle…but Lisa did!!!    Warning…if you’re easily embarrassed, the belt buckle probably isn’t for you!  Needless to say, this group ALWAYS has a great time!!!!

Can’t wait for the next outing…Jake at the Spoke on the 12th, here we come !

*Hugs*

I got an email this morning from my friend Anne, and her hubby, Ira, is going to be coming home from Iraq NEXT WEEK after another year over there!!!!!!!  Such a relief that this deployment is coming to an end; I can’t wait for the homecoming ceremony! 

*Hugs*

Wow, what a weekend!  Friday, I finished my EPA class at noon and actually managed to get out of the office by 12:30.  I drove to Erin’s and then went to have crawfish with her and Michael.  Nice, relaxing night!  Saturday morning, I was up bright and early to drive to Tyler for Jase and Katie’s wedding!!!  It was absolutely beautiful!!!  The pics below are of Jase, Katie, and me…and of our “family.”

We left Jase and Katie’s wedding for a 6.5 hour roadtrip to Bandera!  I.LOVE.BANDERA.  Great friends, great music, and lots of drinkin’ and dancin’!  Debbie, one of my Strutter friends, drove in from Houston to go with us, and I’m soglad she did!!!  We got into town at 8:00 and headed right over to 11th Street to see Jake play.  I met some new friends who I’ve seen out a couple of times but had never actually met.  Jason Milliken is the lead singer for the DHC, and he and his wife Lisa are so much fun!!!  After a great night, we got to the cabin around 1:30 to rest up for Sunday.  We finally made it out of the house Sunday in time for lunch then a little bit of shopping on the square.  Jake went on at 3:00 at Arkey Blue’s…the video of my fave song EVER is too big to load on here, so you’ll have to check it out on my facebook page    The guys played until about 7:15…then Rocky headed over to 11th Street to get ready to play with The Dancehall Cowboys at 8.  So, after a quick bbq sandwich, it was back over to 11th Street    I so wish I had a picture of Odis’ belt buckle…omg, what a sight to see…next time!!!  The DHC were great, but they were opening for another band…who wasn’t really any of our “cups of tea”…so we headed BACK to Arkey Blue’s for Round 2.  Lisa ended up not making it for Round 2…but I know her pain, lol!  I really think I could move to Bandera and be totally happy…so…now I just need to finish grad school and find a job there, lol.  So, we got back to the cabin, crashed, then were up by 9:30 to head home yesterday.  I’m completely exhausted, but it was SOOOO worth it!  It’s so much more fun going to see Jake now that I have a friend that actually likes to dance that goes with me (instead of just tagging along with my parents like I used to)…and knowing Jenn and Rocky, and getting to know some of their friends as well.  So much more fun!    Pics of the weekend are below…Me and Debbie; Me and Jenn King

Jake playin Arkey’s on Sunday afternoon

Jenn, Jason, Murph, and Me….Arkey’s Round 2; and our crew at 11th – My fam, Patsy, Debbie, Bubba and Leslie

I’m still trying to recover after all the driving…but it was totally worth it!    Now it’s back to the real world…looking forward to a relaxing weekend coming up! 

*Hugs*

So, last week was insanely busy; lots going on, so this is gonna be a long one…with pics and all!    Tuesday  night I went to the Nine Inch Nails / Jane’s Addiction concert with Anne, Sarah, and Ross.  Everyone who knows me knows that I’m MUCH more of a country person, but hey, why not try something new, right??  Everyone got a kick out of the fact that I knew NO songs…but whatev, it was still a great concert!  (Actually, I LOVE Closer by NIN…so I figured that the $60 ticket would be worth it to hear that….and then they didn’t play it!!!)  I LOVE JA’s lead guy….I mean, seriously, any guy who prances around in a unitard and tail is just great!!!     OH!  And Dave Navarro was playing, too…H.O.T.

Jane’s Addiction:

Then, Thursday night, Karen, Tenley, and I went to see Rent at Bass Concert Hall.  I.LOVE.RENT!  It is absolutely my all time favorite musical!  The first time I saw it was in New York at Nederlander Theater…what an amazing experience!  Now, anytime it is close, I go!    Mimi and Angel weren’t the best I’ve ever seen, but it was still phenomenal!  The Angel we had was a bit too masculine for the part, but it’s ok    Below is from after the show in front of some fountain at UT…Tenley, Karen, Me 

I left work on Friday and drove to Navasota to see Jake play at The Western Club.  Great, as always    John J is now playing drums for Jake, so it was a fun night!  The guys are below:  Jake Hooker, Rick Price (the best steel man around!), twin fiddles Snuffy and Rocky King (who is awesome!), and John J on the drums 

I stayed Friday night at Erin and Stephen’s with the intent on getting up at 6am to drive back to Leander and then ride to Ft. Worth with Jess, Sam, and Graham to go to Nika’s grad party.  Well, 6am didn’t happen after a night out, so I got up with Erin, ran some errands with the boys, got dressed and then hit the road to Ft. Worth.  It was so much fun seeing everyone, and now that Nika and Cody will be in SA for her residency, hopefully we will be seeing more of each other.  Congrats Nika on finishing med school…so awesome!!!  Love you!    Below:  Colton and Wyatt chillin’; Colton, Wyatt, and Hai; Nika and Jenn

Oh yeah, so this was cute.  Erin and I decided a long time ago that when Colton started talking whatever he called me would be my name for all of the kiddos.  Well, since he still wasn’t talking when everyone else started having babies, I’ve been “Aunt Hailey” to them.  Steph (Erin’s sister-in-law…and one of my friends) had her baby in August and named her…Haylee!  So…Colton’s had a lot of practice with the name, and they all call her Hay Hay.  This weekend, Erin realized that Colton has actually differentiated the two of us!  I am now “Hai”….I don’t get the second one!  Crazy that he came up with that on his own, but so fun that he figured it out, knows who I am, and so now I’m his “Hai.”  It was just so incredibly cute when Erin asked Colton “Who’s that?” and he looked at me, smiled and said “Hai!”

This week has been a bit more calm…EPA training course for work Mon-Fri, and then just cleaning the house and trying to get the office organized.  I’m getting a roommate (YAY!), and she’s coming over tomorrow.  She sounds awesome, is 25, and a teacher.  Can’t wait to finally  meet her in person, but it seems like it will be great!  She’s not moving in until July, so still time to actually get the office to where it needs to be.  Years of stuff has just been left in there because I haven’t felt like going through it all.  It’s amazing all the shit that we had accumulated…some of it important and I will keep…most of it not important (or not mine so I don’t care about it) and has gone in the trash!  Anyway, so Christina is coming by tomorrow, then on Friday I am driving to Erin’s to stay the night.  I have to be in Tyler by like 10:30 on Saturday morning, and Anderson is about 2 hours closer than Leander    I can’t wait for Saturday!   JASON AND KATIE ARE GETTING MARRIED!!! Yes, my BFF Jase, is getting hitched.  I can’t believe it, but I am so incredibly happy!  I love Katie Mac to death, and can’t wait to share their special day with them!

After the wedding, it’s a 6.5 hour road trip to Bandera for good music, good drinks, good friends, and good times!  More on Bandera Memorial Day weekend next week, I’m sure!

Everyone have a safe and fun Memorial Day weekend….but also remember what it is we are celebrating.  To a lot of people it’s just a day off work, but please take the time to remember our fallen Heros who served, fought, and died for our country.  Please take part in the “National Moment of Remembrance” as well.  At 3:00 pm your local time, take a moment to observe the fallen.

SSG Pugh, thank you for everything you did.  I miss seeing your smiling face popping in on the webcam, listening to your advice, and hearing your laugh!  I still think about you every day, and miss you so much!  You are, and always will be, my biggest Hero!
KIA 17 July 2006, Baghdad, Iraq
*Hugs*