April 2020 – Kristens.page

One Pot Penne Bolognese

Tonight I made a delicious one pot Penne Bolognese. It’s not authentic Italian Bolognese sauce so don’t judge me if it’s off on some ingredients etc- but either way my dish was delish! AND I only used one pot! I love less mess meals and I’m sure Jason does too since he cleans up the kitchen after dinner.

INGREDIENTS

1 tsp Olive Oil
lb ground beef
1 medium yellow onion
1 carrot (shredded or finely chopped- I shredded a cup of baby carrots b/c that’s what I had)
1 tbl spoon of minced garlic with juices
1 small can of tomato paste
1 (15-ounce) can Rotel tomatoes
1 pk of dry Italian seasoning
3 cups of beef broth
1 cup of milk
1 bx of penne pasta
grated Parmesan cheese (to serve)

INSTRUCTIONS

Brown the beef: Heat oil in a medium-large dutch oven/skillet. Brown beef.
Cook the veggies: add the finely chopped veggies to the pot with the beef and cook over medium heat, stirring often until softened (2-4 mins)
Season and deglaze: add the garlic powder, Italian seasoning, and tomato paste to the pot. Stir until mixed in well. Pour 3 cups of broth, scrapping the browned bits off the bottom of pan with a wooden spoon
Cook the pasta: Add the can of rotel, and uncooked pasta to the pot, making sure to stir everything until pasta is covered with liquid. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer and cook until pasta is done, and 10-15 mins add the cup of milk during cooking. Serve topped with grated parmesan cheese!

I served this with sliced cucumbers and oranges for dessert- Easy peasy and it was a big hit with the family. Let me know if you try it and what you think!

Brynleigh Mae

Sweet Sweet Brynleigh, you are absolutely beautiful! You made me an Auntie K again, and boy do I love it! I love being you and Brycen’s Auntie K. My lil Bacon Cheese Burger and Lil’ Nugget (I think I need some lessons on the nicknames from Grannie lol) I cannot wait to watch you and your brother grow into the amazing little people I know you will be! I may not have carried you for the 9mths your momma did, but I claim you as one of my own and will spend the rest of my life loving you, protecting you and doing whatever I need to make you, your brother and cousins happy! – Top photo cred to sweet serendipity cakery & studio

take a breath

Life gets crazy sometimes. You get all caught up in the day to day- working long hours, running the kids to and from sports, birthday parties- so many other unplanned interruptions. This time at home has opened my eyes big time. To slow down, take a breath and just be. Wake up a little earlier and have some you time, drink a nice cup of coffee in silence or on the patio, read a few scriptures or chapters in a book. Maybe you’re a night owl- put the kids to bed earlier (or just a decent time), pour a glass of wine for you and your partner and have some quality time with just each other. It may not be as easy for some during this quarantine. Some are working double/triple time, not working at all and not knowing how ends are going to meet. Being stuck inside can also do some harm to those who overthink and have fear and perhaps anxiety of the unknown. I wanted to take a moment and just share a few of my favorite Bible verses to encourage, heal and nourish you in all seasons of life.

And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart. – Jeremiah 29:13 [NKJV]

And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. – Romans 8:28 [KJV]

Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer. – Psalms 19:14 [KJV]

For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. 2 timothy 1:7 (NKJV)

He shall cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you shall take refuge – Psalm 91:4 [NKJV]

But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me. – 1 Corinthians 15:10 [ESV]

Blessed is she who believed that the Lord would fulfill His promises to her – Luke 1:45 [NIV]

I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. – Psalm 139:14 [KJV]

Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it – Proverbs 4:23 [NIV]

Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand. – Proverbs 19:21 [ESV]

You are altogether beautiful, my love, there is no flaw in you. – Song of Solomon 4:7 [NIV]

“Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble. – Matthew 6:34 [ESV]

For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. – Ephesians 2:10 [NLT]

Cast your burden on the Lord, And He shall sustain you; He shall never permit the righteous to be moved. – Psalm 55:22 [NKJV]

But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, with men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible. – Matthew 19:26 [KJV]

Air Frying a cake, Say what?!

Yep, that’s right, I baked a cake today in my air fryer!

This morning we were under a Tornado Watch with confirmed siting- oh yea 2020- Covid-19 isn’t enough we’re going to throw a tornado at ya -thaaanks- We were ok, but bless those who weren’t- It did cause some damage though, messed up our garage door opener, stove, a tv and R oku. Nothing that can’t be fixed or replaced, so thank you Lord. However, do you know what day it is? April 13th, and what is April 13th- My Hubby’s Birthday!! Happy Birthday Jason!!! Now how in the world am I suppose to bake a cake without an oven??? I don’t have a conventional oven/microwave, I don’t have a toaster oven, we’re supposed to be social distancing so I really don’t want to go buy a cake… So what do I do? Look up “How to cook a cake in the instant pot or air fryer”- I’ve seen them in the past but never tried it all the posts I found showed using spring form pans and I didn’t have that either, but I was determined to make this man a cake so I just went for it! It actually turned out great! Maybe even better than some of my past cakes! Y’all… even Jax ate some and you know he’s picky when it comes to sweets-

Here’s what I did:

INGREDIENTS

1 18.25 oz box of cake mix any flavor- Jason’s favorite is Funfetti
3 eggs
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 1/4 cup of water

INSTRUCTIONS

Mix ingredients together.
Using non-stick cooking spray, spray an air fryer safe pan
Then set the air fryer safe pan with the cake mix inside of it into the air fryer. (I split the batter up to make 2 layers) Set the time for 20 minutes at 320 degrees F.
After cake is done pull the cake out and let rest of the counter, for frosting/decoration.
Top with your favorite frosting! Jason’s was Rainbow Chip

Happy Easter 2020

Easter is probably one of my favorite holidays,the significance it holds for me as a Christian, and it’s also usually spent with my dear loved ones. We get all dressed up in our color coordinated Sunday best and attend morning Sunrise service- We eat some of the most delicious food-that we’ve all spent way too much time on just to gobble it up in minutes, hunting Easter eggs- watching the kiddos race egg to egg with glee on their faces wondering what may be in their eggs, coloring Easter eggs, and just spending quality time, sippin’ sweet tea talking about life together. It is the day we remember the rising of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. It’s the day he conquered the grave, saved us from our sins and gave meaning to our world. Without this all the rest of it would be meaningless.

Today was just a little different. He is STILL Risen, and I still spent quality time with the most important people in my life. It’s just instead of getting all dressed up I wore leggings, t-shirt and a baseball cap. Instead of going to sunrise service I watched my wonderful pastor deliver a powerful message online, the kiddos watched their Sunday school lesson while Jason and I hid eggs, but my parents, Rhanda and her little family, My grandparents, Uncles/Aunts, cousins weren’t here. We did get to video chat with a few of them but not being able to see them just wasn’t the same. I missed them.

We still had a great time though, the kiddos loved their Easter Baskets! The girls did dress up a little- they wore the Easter dresses I bought for them, but forget shoes or doing their hair lol! The kiddos hunted for eggs-Brayklee found the most, then JayceeRae and then Jax. They each found a golden egg with a whopping $5. I also put a few “coupons” in them for when the “Social Distancing” is over they can use, such as 1 free donut, 1 Ice cream truck treat and lunch date with me, and I had a few fun ones for during the quarantine like- You choose the movie for Family Movie Night, 15 mins extra screen time and sleep on the air mattress! For dinner I made a Maple Spiral Ham- JayceeRae was most excited about the ham, homemade mac and cheese which I think was Jason and Brayklee’s fave, roasted zucchini and onions, corn on the cob and cornbread which was Jaxon’s favorite part. It was super yummy- everyone even got seconds and that doesn’t happen often with these picky eaters of mine. I missed getting some of Grannie’s chicken salad/ potato salad and Mamma’s dirty rice though- oh and her baked beans would have hit the spot! For dessert we has K Dulce Cookies that were delish!!

After dinner we called Jason’s Mom, Dad and Derrek, they are doing well just bored with this quarantine- We miss them- they were supposed to come up in March, but weren’t able to. Then we called my Grandma and Granddaddy- who are also over the quarantine! Later the kiddos played with their goodies the Easter Bunny brought and Jason and I spent the rest of the night watching a movie (The Platform- weird movie) and Ozark.

Overall it was a really nice Easter Sunday, just a little quieter. Now to get ready for Jason’s birthday tomorrow and the start of Spring Break!

Cypress Gardens Roncek Style under quarantine!

Today was the day we had our field trip to Cypress Gardens! I decorated the table area, we had Lucky Charm Butterflies, watched The Magic School Bus “Get Swamped” and “Get Planted”, painted mini pots to start our seed planting and made bird feeders!

I told them about the birds we may have seen such as:

Ruby-crowned Kinglets
Hermit Thrushes
Solitary Warbler
Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers
Hooded Warblers
Red-eyed Vireos
Yellow-throated Vireos
Ruby-throated Hummingbirds ** Our Favorite**

We looked through the gallery at some of the plants and tree we may have seen:

Dogwoods ** Our Favorite**
Native Iris
Southern Blue Flag
Dwarf Azalea
Southern Arrowwood
Tulip Tree

And of course we learned about my favorite… BUTTERFLIES!! We went over the life-cycle and the anatomy of both a caterpillar and butterfly . We can’t wait to visit Cypress Garden’s Butterfly House as soon as they open back up.

Rice Cake and TP Roll Bird Feeders

Materials needed: rice cake, empty TP roll, peanut butter, yarn or pipe cleaner, birdseed (thankful for a neighbor bc I forgot to pick some up!), scissors, spoon, skewer, ziploc bag or bowl

Poke a hole through the rice cake/ sides on toilet paper roll with a skewer.
Smear peanut butter on rice cake/ TP roll (remember where you put the hole)
Drop it in a bowl or bag of birdseed and evenly coat it
Insert a pipe cleaner or yarn through the hole and make a loop
Hang up outside and wait

My dad also surprised us and sent McDonald’s for lunch via my Mom, so we took it out back and had a picnic lunch, today was nice.

A Little Stir Crazy

Ok…. It’s hit…. I’m going stir crazy- If I have to cook one more meal, fix one more snack, one more drink or answer one more school question I’m going to go mad! Ok, so the school things isn’t that bad- it’s just as soon as I get settled in on my work I hear a “Mom, can you watch me?” or “Mom, I need help!” I can only watch you trace your name 3829x’s without crossing my eyes, I can only be excited about glue so much- and if you ask me for help, I come over to help you PLEASE don’t huff and puff if I ask your opinion or your thought process for the answer. I know, I know things could be worse. I TOTALLY get it, but I’m human and I’m going to vent. Power to all the teachers and every day SAHMs. It’s a tough days work.

I am super thankful for this time at home with them, super blessed to have a job that allows me to still work full time at home via telework. I like our new little schedule we’ve made. We’ve bonded with each other in different ways than before and even though we’re all stuck together in the same house 24/7 we’re not completely sick of each other. well today I may be lol …The girls and I have created our blog pages, we’ve taken up recycling, more exercising, completed a few house/yard projects, and I have even been able to soak in some vitamin D outside in the back. I have had conversations with each kiddo on things we don’t get to just chat about or hear their side of the story on- So it’s not ALL bad, typing it out it actually sounds pretty good and I’m going to miss the extra time- BUT LAWDY BE!

Today I just want to hide, I want to get in my car turn up the radio or listen to an audio book and drive. I want to sit alone in a silent room and do nothing by myself. I want a thank you when I give the 12th snack of the day or 10th meal or 50th drink- I want a “what can I do for you?” I want my excel spreadsheet to magically work the first time. I want all this junk I’m eating to have zero carbs. I want to want to do my hair and make up. I want people to not get moody just because and then take it out on me. I want to go to the movies. I want to fill my candy dish at work and have people come eat it and chat about their day. I want to see my mom and dad and hug them. I want a break.

Ok I’m done complaining. My life is not hard or horrible, I’m just having a Corona Pity Party…. maybe I should go make Quarantini’s….

This Kind of Love- Year TEN!!

April 3, 2010 Sullivan Island Sand Dunes Club

Today we celebrate ten beautiful years of marriage (almost 12 years together). I am in disbelief that the time has passed so quickly, and yet I can think back and see how full these ten years have been. Here’s a little walk down memory lane…

We met at work, noticed each other walking by but officially met during a fire drill through a mutual friend “Luis”. For the next few months, we built a strong friendship, which eventually turned into a relationship; took longer than I wanted lol, but we have been inseparable ever since. Our big thing then was dancing, movies, music and Halloween

Jason proposed to me New Year’s Eve and by the following April we were married on beautiful Sullivan’s Island. We were surrounding by all our family and friends and it was a wonderful time shared. The wedding was absolutely beautiful, and I’ll never forget all the detail put in it.

We built our first home together and welcomed our first goober in July 2010, Brayklee Emerson. She was everything first time parents could hope for! The sweetest, most beautiful perfect little angel.

Before too long, we welcomed another sassy little goob into the crew — JayceeRae Belen, we found out quick that she was our firecracker! Full of spunk, sass and new adventure- oh and colic! But she was another grand blessing and we love her so much!

Three years passed after JayceeRae, and we welcomed Jaxon Sullivan home, our boy! 5 years married and we had already gone through getting married, building a home, and having 3 goobers… wow that is a lot… What were we thinking? I know I was thinking “My life is so blessed, and I couldn’t be any happier than I am right now!” I thank God daily for what he has given us.

And here we are. It’s been a great decade together, full of the ups and downs of life —three children, one pup, remember the Sugar Gliders? WHAT IN THE WORLD! LOL the never dying fish, our inside jokes, door-slamming fights, fast passing in Disney, sleepless nights, loss of loved ones, family bike rides, TDYs, tears in each other’s arms, movies nights, Halloween, mountain trips, drinking wine and butterscotch Moonshine, Hilton Head getaways, repeated stories, Friday night date nights. Makes me wonder what the next 10 years will bring.

At the end of the day, needless to say, marriage isn’t always easy. You’re two humans living together and no matter who you’re with, it’s going to be hard sometimes, right? But there’s no one else I’d want to do this crazy thing called life with. I’ve read “Everyone you date or marry is going to be insane. You just have to choose the form of insanity that works for you.” And our brands of crazy, luckily, seem to fit. This Kind of Love it’s what I dreamed about. Happy ten Goobercakes IJLU

Well… They Got Me…

The terds! Brayklee beat me this April Fool’s. I woke up this morning and half asleep, I’m making my way to the coffee maker..and splat! I ran right into a plastic wrapped doorway! I giggle and head downstairs to sneak my prank in- I was going to tape one of Jaxon’s play gun to the milk and make it have mean face and tell them I think the milks gone “bad” and to my surprise… GOOGLY EYEBALLS on everything! All the condiments, the butter, the drinks, leftovers, milk, OJ- you name it LOL!! It was hilarious!! Brayklee got JayceeRae by putting jelly in her powered donut, JRae was not a huge fan haha. Later that morning I go to the restroom and try to wash my hands, there’s tape on the faucet and I get splashed! Brayklee sneezed on Jason and sprayed the water bottle at the same time- that was a good one! JayceeRae got us by putting chocolate peanut butter spread on the back of the toilet seat…ewww…grosss! but still funny! Later I go to turn on the tv and the terd did it again…. took my batteries! I really need to step up my game next year. So far I have only given Brayklee a frozen cup of Chocolate milk… tonight we’re having mashed potato sundaes, but I don’t know what else I’m going to do….