May 30-umm

So, I've kinda been on a knitting/crocheting binge lately. (mainly because I recently joined Ravelry). Anyway I came across this link, and all I have to say is...Wow.

May 30-Well, here it is

So, a while back I promised I would post the picture I took of Luke at a hockey game. I also said I would post some pictures from the jersey auction he was in, but I don't have them on my computer, and I can't find the discs that I put them on, so here's the picture I DO have.

May 28-I have old ears

This is really cool. You've all heard of those Mosquito ring tones right? On that site, you can listen to different ones for different ages. I can only hear the 30 & under. I SHOULD be able to hear the 24 & under, but I guess I have old ears.

May 27-OMG

I wish I lived in Toronto.

May 27-And she thought she was smart

Here's something to hold you over til I start posting again...

May 25-What's My Blog Rated?

So I just found this webpage. My blog is rated PG for using the word "suck" 1 time.


edited: ok, so suck was from my post about how mediacom sucks. after I posted this, my blog was changed to a rating of "G", but I had used the word "breast" once. I looked it up, and I had typed "4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves" in the Cheesy Chicken and Rice Casserole recipe. lol.

edited again: AHAHAHAH!!! Shorty, you should look yours up!!

May 24-Ravelry

Sorry for not posting for a while, and it'll probably be a while longer til I make a real post, but I found a website that I'm just in LOVE with. It's called Ravelry. It's a knitting community site. You have to be signed up to actually see any of the stuff on the site. And I know, I'm a freaking nerd, but I think it's cool.

May 17-My Camera

So, one of the reasons I haven't been blogging much, or it takes me a while to blog something is because of my camera. My dog ate it. Well, at least she tried. Here's what it SHOULD look like:
And here's what it DOES look like:I do use it occassionally, but the screen is cracked, so the camera tries extra hard to try to put the picture up there...and it only take like 10 pictures before the batteries die. And those are completely new batteries.

May 16-I got lucky...

So, I've found a few 4-leaf clovers in my life. But the way I found them was by sitting there, picking every clover in a patch to see if it had 3 leaves or 4. Well, I let the dogs out the other day, and I was standing there waiting for them. I looked down at the clover patch next to the stairs, and I happened to look RIGHT at a four-leaf clover. I couldn't believe how lucky that was! Well I already have 2, and I had promised the next one to my mom, so I picked it, took pictures of it, and then taped it to a piece of paper for her. Here's a pic:Well, Yesterday, I was standing there, and I looked at the clover patch on the other side of the stairs, and guess what I saw....Another four leaf clover!! I didn't pick this one, because, as I found out when I taped Mom's clover to some paper, I have REALLY crappy tape....even though it's clear tape, it's not totally clear when you put a couple layers on. So anyway, I've got pictures of it anyway.

May 15-Some finished projects

So, I haven't posted any pictures of what i've knit/crocheted lately. I haven't taken pictures of the sweater I made yet, but I'll get around to it one of these days. Here's some pics of the other stuff I've made. If anybody stumbles across this page, and wants a pattern for any of these, then just leave a comment, and i'll get it to you.

Here's a hat I crocheted. I think it was supposed to be taller, but it isn't. lol

Here's a baseball I crocheted. I made it in 2 pieces, like a baseball really is, and sewed them together and then embroidered it with the red.

Here's a purse I made. It doesn't really hold a lot, but I think it's mostly for show.

Those three patterns were from old issues of a magazine called The Workbasket. This next one is from some website...I don't remember which. The top part of the picture is a full picture of the scarf, and the lower part of it is a closeup to show the detail on it.
I came up with these last 2 scarves myself. They're both Quad City Flames scarves. This first one is a tube scarf. It's got the same pattern on each side of it. The top pic is the full scarf, and the bottom is a closeup of the logo. I didn't really like this scarf much because it's so wide. I have other scarves that are wide, but this one is also thick.

Here's my Quad City Flames Illusion scarf. It's about twice the width of the last scarf. The top picture shows what it loks like if you look at it straight on, and the bottom pic is from an angle. This is definately one of my favorite scarves.

Well, that's it for now. Hopefully I'll get off my butt and take a pic of that shirt I made.

May 13-Southwestern Goulash

We made this a couple days ago. We used different noodles, no green chilies and less onion. It makes 6 servings and the way we made it, it's only 210 calories. If you go strictly by the recipe, it's 224 calories. It's from Light & Tasty magazine.1 cup uncooked elbow macaroni
1 pound lean ground beef
1 medium onion, chopped
1 can (28 ounces) diced tomatoes, undrained
2/3 cup frozen corn
1 can (8 ounces) tomato sauce
1 can (4 ounces) chopped green chilies
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro

Cook macaroni according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a Dutch oven over medium heat, cook beef and onion until meat is no longer pink; drain. Stir in the tomatoes, corn, tomato sauce, chilies, cumin, pepper and salt. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 3-4 minutes or until heated through.
Drain macaroni; add to meat mixture. Stir in cilantro and heat through.

We didn't use a Dutch oven...just a really big frying pan.

May 12-Cheesy Chicken & Rice Casserole

So, we just made this. It's REALLY good. We used an 11 x 9" pan instead of 11 x 8". No big dea. Also, where it says season chicken as desired, I put a little bit of salt and pepper on it. And It was pretty watery when we took it out of the oven, but after letting it sit for 10 minutes, it soaked up most of the juices. Oh yeah, and I got the recipe from light & Tasty magazine (one of the little bonus books) Well, that's about it. enjoy.1 can (10 3/4 oz.) Campbell's Cream of Chicken
1 1/3 cups water
3/4 cup uncooked regular long-grain white rice
1/2 tsp. onion powder
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
2 cups frozen mixed vegetables
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

Stir soup, water, rice, onion powder, black pepper and vegetables in 11x8" (2-qt) shallow baking dish.
Top with chicken. Season chicken as desired. Cover.
Bake at 375ºF for 50 min. or until chicken is cooked through and rice is tender. Top with cheese. Let casserole stand for 10 min. before serving. Stir rice.

This makes 4 servings. I figured out the calories for the ingredients I used and it's 286 calories a serving. There's a suggestion here for 2 ways you can make it differently.

Taste of Italy: In place of onion powder and pepper, use 1 tsp Italian seasoning, crushed. Substitute 1/3 cup shredded Parmesan for Cheddar.

Mexican Fiesta: In place of onion powder and pepper, use 1 tsp chili powder. Substitute Mexican cheese blend for cheddar.

May 8-Mediacom sucks

May 8-11:31 a.m.

So, I’m typing this in Microsoft Word, and I’m going to have to post it later. You see, our internet is out…for the millionth time. We have mediacom cable internet, and out internet went out, so we had them come out and take a look at it. They did nothing. Then our internet started going out every day, at least once a day, if not more. So we had them come out again and take a look at it. (it took over a week before they could come out) They did something, but it had nothing to do with what we told them the problem probably was. So the internet worked…for a couple hours. The rest of that night, it was in and out every 10 minutes. Well, it got better. Now it only goes out about every other day. Today was a day it went out. I was trying it on my computer, and the internet wasn’t working. So I went downstairs, and restarted the internet box thingy (I have no clue what it’s called). It said we had internet, so I came back up to my computer and tried it again. I usually don’t even have to restart my connection, let alone my computer for it to start working, yet it wouldn’t work. So I went downstairs to try and figure out what was wrong. The box thingy said that we were connected, but even that computer (which is hooked directly into the box) wasn’t connected to the internet. Well, when I tried to see if it was connected, the box went back to saying we weren’t connected. So I tried resetting it. I tried resetting the wireless connection. I tried restarting the computers. Nothing worked. My mom just went out and fiddled with the splitter outside (which is what we TOLD them was wrong the last time they came out) and now we’re connected to the internet. So, save yourselves the trouble and don’t get Mediacom….cuz they fucking suck.

And I'll be lucky if I can post this right away because the internet keeps going in and out again.

May 7-Easy Chicken Potpie

I know, I know, enough with the recipes already...but at least I'm blogging again. :o)

So yesterday, my mom and I made these Easy Chicken Potpies. It's actually one big thing with 'biscuits' on top. But our biscuit dough was really runny...so it's like one big biscuit on top. It still tastes really good though! :o) I'm actually having leftovers right now. And once again, the recipe is from Light & Tasty magazine.Easy Chicken Potpie

1 can (10 3/4 ounces) reduced-fat reduced-sodium condensed cream of chicken soup, undiluted
1 can (10 3/4 ounces) reduced-fat reduced-sodium condensed cream of mushroom soup, undiluted
1 1/4 cups fat-free milk, divided
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/8 teaspoon poultry seasoning
2 packages (16 ounces each) frozen mixed vegetables, thawed
1 1/2 cups cubed cooked chicken breast
1 1/2 cups reduced-fat biscuit/baking mix
1/3 cup egg substitute

In a large bowl, combine the soups, 1/2 cup milk, thyme, pepper and poultry seasoning. Stir in vegetables and chicken. Transfer to a 13-in. x 9-in. x 2-in. baking dish coated with nonstick cooking spray.
In a small bowl, stir the biscuit mix, egg substitute and remaining milk just until blended. Drop by 12 rounded tablespoonsfull onto chicken mixture. Bake, uncovered, at 350º for 40-50 minutes or until filling is bubbly and biscuits are golden brown.

1 1/3 cups chicken mixture with 2 biscuits equals 342 calories.

May 6-Trapped in the Closet

I told Rachel the other day that I'd put a link to Trapped in the Closet on my blog. This is the official site for it. There are now 22 chapters. And, just to warn you, chapters 13-22 have intros to them, with R Kelly talking about the clips.

May 5-Chicken Tacos With Pineapple Pico de Gallo

Ok, I have yet another recipe to post up here. Now, as I've said, i've been cutting back on my calories lately. A lot of meals end up leaving me hungry still. I had 3 of these (they're pretty small), which was only 386 calories, and i was actually full afterwards. Anyway, here's the recipe:1 cup chopped fresh pineapple
1/2 cup chopped peeled mango
2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon finely chopped red onion
1 tablespoon lime juice
3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
2 cups cubed cooked chicken breast
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon salt-free garlic seasoning blend
8 corn tortillas (6 inches), warmed

For pico de gallo, in a small bowl, combine the pineapple, mango, cilantro, onion, lime juice and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Set aside.
In a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray, cook and stir the chicken, cumin, seasoning blend and remaining salt until heated through. Spoon 1/4 cup onto each tortilla. Serve with pico de gallo.

Once again, the recipe is from Light & Tasty magazine. They suggest 1 serving is 2 tacos with 1/3 cup pico de gallo, which is 257 calories.

May 3-Mexi-Mac Skillet

So, my mom and i made another meal the other day. It was REALLY good. It was a little spicy, but since i'm trying to cut back on my calories so i can lose some weight, the spice was great compared to the bland crap i've been eating. And if I can deal with the spice, just about everybody else should be fine too. Anyway, here's a pic and the recipe:1 pound lean ground beef
1 large onion, chopped
1 can (14-1/2 ounces) diced tomatoes, undrained
1 can (8 ounces) tomato sauce
1 cup fresh or frozen corn
1/2 cup water
1-1/4 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup uncooked elbow macaroni
2/3 cup shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese

In a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, cook beef and onion until meat is no longer pink; drain. Stir in the tomatoes, tomato sauce, corn, water, chili powder, oregano and salt.
Bring to a boil; stir in macaroni. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 18-22 minutes or until macaroni is tender. Sprinkle with cheese.


We left out the onion, used canned corn instead of fresh or frozen, used shell pasta instead of macaroni, and I put some part-skim mozzarella cheese on top instead of the cheddar cheese (just because it's what we had). Made my way it was only 288 calories, and if you go strictly by the recipe it's 283 calories. Oh yeah, it's from Light and Tasy magazine.

May 2-'The Man Who Grew A Finger'

So, I was reading the news online the other day, and I came across this page. This is freaking cool. You guys have probably already heard about this guy, but I still wanted to link the pages anyway. This guy from Ohio got his finger chopped off, and grew it back. If you follow the link, there's a video on the page which shows the pictures of the guys finger as it's growing back. It's pretty graphic. Today there was another BBC article about it, but showing some skepticism about what parts of the finger were grown back. Here's the link to that article. Anyway, I thought that was cool and I just HAD to put the links up.

May 1-I never thought I'd see one outside of a movie

So we were driving along yesterday, and I saw a guy walking on the sidewalk. I noticed he was in a suit, and I think that's why I notice him. Anyway, as we got next to him, I saw his moustache and I just started laughing. I swear it looked like this:
I mean, seriously...who has a moustache like that?