90's Treasure Trove

Today I was able to finally able to get to re-organizing and cleaning my room....again. With three kids it can be very difficult to actually get to it. With the living situation still being with my parents for a little while longer, there's my kids' and my own things all in one room. 4 in 1. It gets very cluttered very quickly and once it's cleaned, well, it only stays that way until I need to get something out. =/ So these next two days are partly dedicated to figuring out ways around it becoming an unavoidable mess when I JUST need a T-shirt!

Clearing out around and under my bed to better utilize that area is where I started. I pulled out a trash bag and when I looked to see what was inside a smile came to my face.

Forgotten Treasures!!

Here's a few of the (mostly) 90s treasures

Most people wont know what this is. But this is a judges tape from what I believe is the John Hardin Marching Band's first performance at a competition for Music Effect. (Yup, I was a band nerd =) I marched French Horn at that time.) I cant wait to listen to it!!

This cracked me up! Its a case for a memory card and it's about the size of a CD case and as thick as two or three of them. Lets compare memory cards to now....haha

Awww yeeaahh!

And the CDs were actually in them, SWEET!

I've always been a fan of Star Wars, but it wasnt until the last year or so that I've really come to embrace my geekness for it. That on top of the fact that Episode 1 in 3D is coming out in a couple weeks and I'm way nerding out about it made me very excited to find this. (Its been promised that we'll go see it for Valentines Day, Yes!!)

This may be from 2003, but I was definitely bummed that the CD wasnt in the case. Probably one of my favorite soundtracks ever.

I couldnt tell ya what year this is from, and I've never listened to it or even know if its been recorded over (That's a task for tomorrow!) but a Jane Fonda tape just made me giggle and I actually remember seeing it when I was little.

Go digging for your old treasures! It keeps you young and can definitely give you some great laughs.

Loves!

~Kels

Boys, Boys, Boys...how interesting they are

Yesterday we checked out what my * girls *  have been up to. As promised, today we see the boys. They were far more wild this week!

T man =)

T had a great time "fighting" Uncle Spencer

I love the motion captured in some of these

Karate Kick!

This reminds me of Dash from The Incredibles!

Spencer lost.... =/ This is why boys should know not to play rough!

Turner was just "on" that day haha

Such a true boy right here

He is just such a goober. "Mommy, take picture!"

It was so fun to watch my brother play with Turner like that and get sooo many pictures out of it. Those boys sure can drive me crazy though!!

Loves!

~Kels

Girls, Girls. Two Silly Girls

Lydia

Bridget. See that mischeivious smile?

Bridget hovering while Kyle cooked.

Lydi not playing nice for mommy's camera

Lydi

Ahhhh! Potties!!! They tell each other to sit down. Its too funny

This just cracks me up. hehe

 Lydia has no shame

Bridget is a little more scandalized!

See??

Bridget my little monkey...and Lydia...chewing on a screw. Cant quite figure out why she does that.

Well, there's my silly, beautiful girls from over the last week. We'll have a peek at the * boys * of the house tomorrow. They are Quite interesting.... =)

Loves!
~Kels

S.S. Question Mark : Week 4

Hey there everybody! I've been trying to go along in the order my questions are written in my notebook, but its been a bit of a rough week around here and the next question was another opposition of the * previous question *   :

 What is the worst thing that has ever happened to you?

I've had to think about that a lot the last few days and it's really put me through the works. So, not only do I honestly have no desire to think about it again for a while, it will keep me from a full day of much needed positive thoughts; so I'm not going to get into mine like I have been doing for examples.

Its good to think about every once in a while when taking stock of your life because not everything that happens is good. (Unfortunately) But you should examine those bad things and look at how they've shaped you. Has it made you be safer, more cautious? Were you able to help a friend who ended up going through something similar? Is it something you never thought about before that you realized after it happened that you'll definitely need to teach your kids about? To be able to make it through this crazy life, we will have to look at the "crap storm" and see what good things it may have brought out in turn.

Good Vibes and Positive Thoughts!

Loves!
~Kels

Teriyaki Steak and Chicken with Brown Rice

This recipe is somewhat a copy cat I came up with of the Sesame Teriyaki Chicken from O'Charley's. I love their recipe and I always get two or three meals out of it, but 1) sometimes the amount of ginger they use can cause it to be a little inconsistent in flavor, 2) sometimes the thin cut strips of chicken can get a little charred, and 3) it can get pricey for me to eat there with any sort of frequency. I had started getting the kids instant brown rice and hadnt really figured out what to do with it yet. What I ended up figuring out is one of the new faves around here; a good, filling, inexpensive one-bowl meal.

These are all the ingredients you need: Chicken breast (I buy frozen bags and thaw out what I need), Steak-any cut you like, Instant Brown Rice, Brown Sugar, ground Ginger, Soy Sauce, Lawry's Garlic Salt, Pineapple Juice, George Foreman or any other grill, Microwave safe bowl for rice and pot for making the sauce.

Go ahead and measure out the amount of rice you'll need, and water, and pour them in your microwave bowl. Set aside.

Here's what you need for the sauce. The sauce has actually tasted the best when I used my dad's Gluten Free Soy sauce. Not sure what it is it about exactly, but I think it's so much better. (And its the only ingredient that can keep this dish from being GF. I believe the brand we used was San-J)

I dont typically measure my ingredients unless I'm baking. I go strictly off my senses: color, texture/consistency, smell, flavor. dont usually like one flavor to stink out more than another with this particular sauce. I stir and heat this over medium-high heat being careful not to let it burn.

As this begins to heat, fire up your George Foreman. Lightly salt and pepper your chicken and steak.

You dont have to use both - you could even use pork - but I really love how the flavors compliment each other.

I'll let the chicken cook a little just on the one side before closing the lid. Once you close the lid, you can just let it sit for a minute. Re-open the lid, flip and rotate each piece and re-close the lid. This gives it that criss-cross grill marks.

*Mind your fingers. The steam will getcha.*

Once cooked through, remove to plate and tent with foil. This allows the meat to rest so the juices redistribute throughout and also keep it warm of course while you finished cooking everything else.

You dont want a big rolling boil, but this is what you want to see. You want the sauce to reduce down a little bit and thicken up some. Be sure you still keep an eye on it and stir it every couple minutes. Once you get it to a high simmer, let it stay there a minute or two and then reduce your heat.

Carefully wipe away any residue left on the grill so it doesnt burn.

Before you begin the steak, put your rice in the microwave for time stated on the box.

You may think that steak wouldnt be very good on a George Foreman, but it has actually come out very well for me and wasnt as touchy as I thought it might be. You simply repeat the same steps as for the chicken.

Tent steak.

When rice is done in the microwave, let it sit for about 5 minutes. During that 5 minutes, cut the chicken and steak into thin strips.

Fluff the rice with a fork.

Portion out the rice

Portion out the steak

Add the chicken

Spoon on sauce.

Mmmm =D

Give it a try tonight!

Enjoy!

Loves

~Kels