3D TV- oh boy, Billy Bob!

SO...Billy Bob (otherwise known outside the family as Bill, Megan's husband) has been browsing on the internet for 'deals'.

He says that he found this website that you can bid on items.  He decided to bid on a 3D TV...and won!  So, now comes the price...!  We all told him it was too good to be true!


Needless to say, he wants to prove us wrong!  He took the day off work for delivery, cleared everything out from behind the bar in the basement.  I'm telling ya, this is going to be the best sports bar basement in Harrisburg if this TV actually arrives.

We will see.


A digression on the website.  The website he was using is called: http://www.beezid.com/ Basically how it works is you buy bids, for like a penny.  Then you "spend" them on the bids you want to place on various items.  If you are the highest, you win!  There is a tutorial the explains how to do it.  You can also auto bid with a price range and how many bids you want to use.  Simple right?  Sounds too good to be true to me.

Again, we will see.

So here is the update:  We are having 3D night at Bill and Meggie's as I type!  It is pretty cool.  So, Billy Bob was right!  It worked!  Okay, so slight defect--it didn't come with any of the 3D glasses...small loss for getting a $1,400.00 TV for approximately $160.00.  Meg picked up a pair of the glasses (apparently there are specific glasses for each 3D TV made by each brand)- word to the cautious: these glasses are kinda pricey. 

Isabella loves the TV! Ha ha, oh no! ;) 

Matt is also mesmerized by the tv, lol!






Well, the end of the story goes that the TV is real, the website is real, it was cheap, so check it out!  =)

Midnight Brownies

So there are a couple of reasons for posting this recipe.  First, as most of you guys know, since being pregnant with Isabella, I have had VERY LITTLE desire to eat meat.  In fact, during my first trimester I definitely lurched at the thought of cooking meat (poor Matt!!!).  Well, after she was born I figured I would go back to eating meat like I normally did...not so much.  I still eat very little meat (I can probably count on one hand the times I have eaten meat since July 8th). 

Well, while I was at home I was watching a Dr. Oz Show rerun (oh my, how I have become the mom at home!) he had a guest viewer- Kim Bensen- on his show that had lost over 200 pounds!  More power to her- that's awesome!  Well, anyhow, she had these secret ingredient brownies that are a lot healthier for you (especially if you like sweets).  Well of course I was hooked, I wanted to know what was in the brownies!! (Second reason for the post: get her awesome story and the secret out!)

So, she finally revealed that her brownies contain BEANS!! WHAT!?! Serious?  Yeah, okay, so I want to try this recipe, because it appeals to my "bean" side, haha- I've been eating a lot of beans during dinner, so cool- beans. 

So, word to the cautious...I haven't tried this yet, I just found it on his site and I plan on trying them this week (as long as I have all the ingredients).


Midnight Brownies

Brownies

Ingredients

1 (15 oz.) can black beans, drained and rinsed

1/2 cup agave syrup

1/2 cup self-rising flour

1/2 cup egg whites

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa

2 tbsp  vanilla

1 tsp baking powder

6 tbsp mini semisweet chocolate chips

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly spray a 8x8 baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. In a food processor, mix all brownie ingredients (except chips) together. Chop on high, until smooth. Clean off sides and blend for another 20 seconds. Add the chips and stir well. Spread into the 8x8 baking dish. Bake for 20 minutes, until toothpick comes out clean. Cool for about 1 hour at room temperature.

Frosting

Ingredients

6 oz. fat-free cream cheese

1/4 cup agave syrup

2 tbsp vanilla extract

2 tbsp semisweet mini chocolate chips, melted

Directions

With a whisk attachment on an electric beater, blend all ingredients until light and fluffy. Spread evenly over the top of the cooled brownies. In a microwave safe bowl, melt the 2 tbsp of chips with a 2-second spray of nonstick cooking oil. Using a spoon, swirl the chocolate on top. Allow it to set in the refrigerator for 20 minutes. Serve and enjoy. Don't forget to have seconds! 

You can find the recipe on Dr. Oz's Recipe Page as well!

You can read more about the guest that presented this recipe in her book Finally Thin.

Hello Big Bird...you ol' turkey you!

Well, this one's for the birds! ha, ha, ha ok that was a little turkey cookin' humor.  The other day I decided to thaw the giant bird in our freezer and get to cookin'.  This morning I got up feeling frisky enough to jump on the "I cooked a turkey" bandwagon.  So, this is my adventure wranglin' up myself a turkey for dinner!

I got the Kosher little fella out of the fridge and began cutting away the packaging.  A little euw.  I finally got it all pealed away and cut out the directions.  Now I have this giant featherless blob of skin laying in my sink.  Double euw.  Now what to do?  Oh boy, I gotta touch this thing?  Serious?  Okay, well I suck it up and lift up the carcass to wash it off.  I am lurching at this point. I quickly give Big Bird his final earthly bath and towel him down- thank the Lord for Mr. Bounty.

I read the following direction.  It says I am supposed to 'rub' salt and pepper on this bird.  Are you kidding me?!  I throw up a little in my mouth just thinking about 'rubbing' the slimy, clammy skin of Big Poppa.

Oh yeah, forgot to take the neck and giblets (Yes, all those lovely little gals- known as Gibblets- that hung out at Gibbs hall quickly flashed into my memory!!) out of the cavity.  I am thinking that I might just leave this guy laying in the sink until Matt can figure this mess out.  Ok, Matt's funny saying from the hospital comes to my mind..."Sarah, pull yourself together!" (God bless that doctor).  Ok, next thought:  "Sarah if you can give birth, then you can do this!" Okay, refocus.  I reach in and remove the neck....I can't find the giblets.  I am looking and looking and they are NO WHERE to be found!! Moving on.  If they are still in there and I can't see them, I have just created the perfect excuse... just in case my bird is terrible!

I shake the salt and pepper on the outside- top and bottom- easy enough....now how am I supposed to get it INSIDE this thing??  Okay, I open it up a little and shake.  That is as far as I go- I draw the line at RUBBING my hand inside the dead blob laying on my counter.

I prep up my pan for the bird, using mushrooms, carrots, celery, asparagus, onions, and green peppers.  That mixture sure looks yummy, hope it turns out okay. 

I take the same items and start tossing them into the bird, trying not to touch it much.  I then figure out another use for the celery stalks- shoving the veggies into the bird!!  GENIUS!  So this moves my progress along nicely.  I baste it a bit and then its off for Big Bird's last earthly tan!

So here is how the lovely carcass known as Big Bird looked once he was prepped for tanning!  Ain't he a beauty?!

Okay, so according to the package, it says that I should cook this bad boy for 3 1/2 to 4 1/2 hours.  I choose 4 hours for a couple reasons: 1.  It's nice to be in the middle :) and 2.  I sure don't wanna make KFC crispy in my oven after all of my prepping, lurching, and the occasional hurling.  I worked hard on this plucked cluck!

I check on Biggie a couple of times and he looks like he is tannin' nicely.  After about 2 1/2 hours, I decided it was time for the Big Cover-Up!

So in case you have been confused at any point...this is my FIRST BIRD.  I have been married to a lovely husband for over 5 years and I have had the fortunate blessing of never cooking a bird on Thanksgiving.  Now most of you know me and know that I used to work at Target...as does Matt.  Now, if you think about it, who the heck, in their right mind would want to be cookin' all day on Thanksgiving the day before Black Friday?!  Certainly not the two of us, as usually we were at the store with a team prepping for BF.  So, alas, no bird for me.  Now "What about last year?" you may say.  Well, I could have made a turkey since I was so blessed to be in a new job, however there are two FABULOUS reasons I didn't.  First, I was pregnant and it was my birthday- there ain't no way I'm cooking on my birthday! Ha, ha and second, we were at Disney World!!  So, we were more than happy to let the lovely folks working at Disney whip up a tasty meal for us!

But I digress.  Back to the big wrap-up. Now that everyone knows this is the first plucker at our house...I have no idea how much foil to use to wrap Biggie up with....so here is what I came up with! ha ha ha- foiled madness!  Do ya think its enough?? =)

Okay, here we go....wrappin' in progress...

So, I finally finished wrapping Big Bird and stuck him back in the tanner for the final leg of his last earthly vacation.  He will spend the remainder of his full-carcassness in the lovely sauna that I built around him with my mountain of foil!

The final product.  Thank you Big Bird for your contribution to my family's "Yay its Fall!" dinner celebration!  You grossed me more than once, but you were a trooper, and I "pulled it together."  What a nice duo we made for more than a couple hours today!  Hubby liked you so all is good =)


Now some of you might ask what was sweet Isabella doing the whole time I was wrestling with my demon known as Big Bird??

She was snoozing.  In true Dressler/McKinney style!










So, that pretty much wraps up my adventures with Big Bird.  I hope you enjoyed hearing about Biggie's Big Bird Bake!!

Baby Isabella Wall Decoration

I have had a few friends ask me about the decorations I created for Isabella's nursery, so I figured I would make a post about Isabella's name decoration in case someone wanted to create their own!

::::Project Supply List::::
1.  Letters
2.  Wood Craft Paints
3.  Ribbon to match
4.  Wooden knobs
5.  Q-Tips
6.  Paper Plate
7.  Plastic for table
8.  Hot Glue Gun and matching glue sticks
9.  Nails (finishing w/ wide, shiny heads)
10. Hand Drill with bit

How to make Baby Name Wall Decoration::::

Planning, Prep, and Design::
First, I selected my room decor and color scheme.  Isabella's room has a green and brown theme.  Her bedding has stripes, polka dots and paisley on it, so I wanted to bring out one of those patterns.  I chose the polka dots for a couple reasons: 1. I like them and 2. I thought they would be easiest to start the project off with.  After I decided polka dots, I chose the coloring: brown, green, and tan to match the room decor.

Next I chose the letters and paint.  I bought my lettering at a local craft shop, but you can find these at many big box retailers, such as Michael's, AC Moore, Wal-Mart, Hobby Lobby, and many smaller stores.  Since I had picked polka dots, I looked for letters that had bubbles on the ends to go with the idea.  After I found letters in the right size- she has a longer name, so I chose smaller letters (5 in.) plus, I wanted it to fit above her bed.  If you want to spread them farther apart or have a smaller name to work with, then you could choose a larger letter.  

I then picked up some bright green, dark brown, and tan craft wood paint.  You can again find these paints at any local craft or big box retail store for only a couple dollars each bottle.  I suggest using a matte finish paint, as a glossy will be very streaky.  If you are interested in creating the glossy finish, I suggest a clear, glossy, finishing coat at the end.

I also picked up wooden drawer knobs at the hardware store. These are cheap (around $.40 each) and can be picked up at any Lowe's or Home Depot.  These seem to work best on a wall, as the other drawer knobs are pretty, but there isn't a great way to attach them to the wall (as they screw in from the back, rather than the front).  If anyone has a suggestion to attach the other knob style (back screw) I would definitely like to hear it- since they are so pretty! 

Creating the Letters::
Once I accumulated all of my supplies I painted the base color on the front of the letter (dark brown) and after this dried I painted the bright green on the sides of the letters.  Once both of these colors were dry, I touched up any mistakes then began the dots (tan).  

The dots are best applied with a Q-Tip (thanks Dottie for the great crafting tip!!).  I just rolled the tip of the Q-Tip in the paint, then 'dotted' it on the front of the letter.  Be careful not to press too hard, as it will make a paint 'void' in the middle of the dot, and you will have to touch it up after it dries.


 After all the paint had dried and all touch-ups were finished I began the ribbon.  I chose a thin ribbon with polka dots to match my theme, but not overwhelm the wooden knobs.  When choosing ribbon, it is best to choose after you have picked a knob, as this will determine how big your ribbon can be. 

To attach the ribbon, I just headed a glue gun and glued the ribbon on the back.  I chose not to tie bows at the top because it didn't work well, but I think it would look great if you chose to do that!  

I had green ribbon with tan polka dots that matched the green I chose for the sides of the letters, so I crossed the ribbon in a way that would allow the polka dots to face out.  I crossed the ribbon behind the letter (looks like a breast cancer awareness cross ribbon) and put a dot of glue to hold it in place.  Be careful where you place it, as this will potentially cause it to hang crooked on the wall (more power to it if you want them crooked on purpose- which is super cute!).  I hung the knobs first, as this determined how far down I wanted the letters to hang- determining the length of ribbon to use.

Finished letters with ribbon style and painted knobs

Creating the Knobs:: 
First I used the hand drill to drill a small hole down the middle of the knob.  This will be used to house the nail when it is nailed in the wall.

I painted the knob to match the letters.  I chose dark brown to pull in the dark brown background behind the polka dots.  Make sure the paint goes down in the hole so all you see is the painted color.

After they dried I took the decorative (pretty silver in my case), wide head, finishing nails and nailed the knobs to the wall.  Make sure you choose a nail that is long enough to go through the knob and still have room to hold in the wall.  I left the head of the nail flush with the knob, so it ends up that the knob has a pretty silver 'dot' in the middle of it when we finished.  Determine how far apart you want the letters and incorporate that into your measurement when you nail these to the wall (so the letters aren't too close or too far apart). 

Finishing the project::
After hanging the knobs and attaching the ribbon to the letters, all you have left to do is hang the letters on the wall!!  

One final tip::

Watch out for your pregnant belly if you are trying to hang them without moving the crib though!  

It might get in your way, especially if you are 9 months pregnant! ;)

Four Generations Photo Shoot

We were also blessed enough to do a Four Generations photo shoot.  Isabella, myself, my Mom and my Mamaw- we were all present and accounted for and fun was had by all!  I loved seeing how my Mamaw's eyes lit up when she was playing with Isabella, holding her, talking to her- it was absolutely perfect and a time that I will cherish forever.  My husband did a great job of being the photographer in charge, directing us around, searching for a perfect shot and making us all smile in the process!  Here are some of the pictures that Matthew took- again, he did a great job of capturing the moment!

 

 

 

 

Back to Our Roots

Well, a lot has happened in the past couple weeks!  We took our first long road trip to Tennessee!  Isabella had just gotten her 2 month shots and she was Super Trooper!  She did great and the drive was long =)  

Here is a photo tribute to our travels and the fun time we had while we were on our first visit to Tennessee with baby Isabella.

 We were blessed to be able to watch Temple Women's Soccer play ETSU, while we were there, with Matt's sister's family and his dad! It was a chilly, Fall night filled with assists, goals, a little rain, and a lot of Dougieing (okay, really only by Bill and TJ!).  Kate and Sha were really excited we came- okay, really, they were excited Bella came ;) -to watch them play!







While we were in Tennessee we also went to a UT Football game!!!  Oh, how much fun we had!!  It was the first game that Matt and I had been able to get back to see (between living 8 hours away and working like crazy, it just didn't work out!) since 2005, so it was a sweet time had by all!  We were able to go with Meg, Bill, TJ, and Poppy Bill.  Tennessee was playing the University of Oregon.  It was QUITE an adventure, let me tell ya!  We had a fabulous dinner at Calhoun's on the River and we headed over to the stadium (a trip complete with a super drunk man face-planted on River Walk).     

During the game we had an "inclement weather" warning and people were asked to leave the stadium (a first in all the games Matt and I had ever been to!)- we took shelter under the bleachers, smashed like sardines with a whole bunch of other fans (claustrophobic anyone?) and then returned to the game.  Tennessee played well at the beginning, but the ending score didn't really show that.  I still have hope for Dooley and the younguns! =)

During halftime the Pride of the Southland Marching Band did an AWESOME tribute to 9-11 since the game was being played on Saturday September 11, 2010.  They played America the Beautiful while they created the Eagle and inflated the Statue of Liberty.  I have never felt so proud to be a Volunteer!




We also visited our favorite eateries: Pals, La Carreta, and Cheddars. At the rate we were going, my body couldn't handle more than a week long vacation to the Tri-Cities!

After our big game outings to see Temple and UT play, we just hung out around town, seeing the sites and enjoying Nana's company.   One night we were even able to tag a long to a Red Hat get together so that Nana's friends could see sweet baby Bella!! 


One sunny day we drove to Pigeon Forge, TN to see the new Titanic Exhibit.  We had a wonderful time with Nana!  They have a real iceberg that you can touch and 28 degree water that you can stick your hands in- so you can see how cold the water was for the passengers of Titanic.  I would highly recommend that you visit the museum- it is educational, hands on, and a lot of fun!

We also took time to visit the covered bridge in Elizabethton, TN, while we were visiting with my dad. 








 We had a wonderful time seeing friends and family and were quite sad to leave.  The drive home was very uneventful and quiet, but the entire family was definitely glad to be out of the car and at home...even if it was 7:30 at night!


We were also blessed enough to do a Four Generations photo shoot during our visit to Tennessee.  Isabella, myself, my Mom and my Mamaw- we were all present and accounted for and fun was had by all!  I loved seeing how my Mamaw's eyes lit up when she was playing with Isabella, holding her, talking to her- it was absolutely perfect and a time that I will cherish forever.  My husband did a great job of being the photographer in charge, directing us around, searching for a perfect shot and making us all smile in the process!  Here are some of the pictures that Matthew took- again, he did a great job of capturing the moment! Take a look at my post about the photo shoot for more details and pictures!

Tara and Jeremy Frey

On August 28, 2010, two of our good friends- Tara and Jeremy- tied the knot in Tamaqua, PA!  We traveled to Tamaqua with our good friend Jason Gross, who does event set-up and was kind enough to design their wedding and reception!  Here is a sneak peak of the photos I took while partaking in the festivities!

Rich escorting Tara

Maid of Honor

Jeremy's Sister and her daughter

The Kiss!!!

First Dance

These are a few that I have worked on for Tara and Jeremy, please feel free to message me if you want to see more!  I hope you have had as much fun looking at the photos as I did partaking, taking, and editing them!

Isabella Marie is 2 Months old!!

Well, as you guessed it from the title of this post, Isabella is 2 months old!! YAY!  She is growing sooooo fast- I love seeing her become more active, but I feel like time is going TOO fast sometimes :)

Here are her updated stats:

Length: 22 7/8 inches long
Weight: 10 pounds 4 ounces

She is outgrowing some of her clothing now- all because she is too long! :)

She had to have three shots administered at the pediatrician on Wednesday and she was such a big girl!  She cried a little, then calmed down and was a trooper.  She didn't even act like her little leg hurt that much!

Weekly Schedules

Okay, so my sister-in-law and I were talking at our family Labor Day get-together about cleaning- how much we hate it and how much time it takes!!  So, in our conversation, I started telling her about the cleaning schedule that Matt and I created (okay, so I created it and he told me what he liked and what wouldn't work- he's so logical like that! ;)  ).  Here is basically how it works for us, please don't think we have it all together, we just decided we REALLY hated spending all day cleaning, especially on the weekends when we would rather travel! :)

Laundry- we do one load a day, so there are never HUGE loads that I absolutely HATE folding... O:)  We also picked the days based on what each of us wear and when these loads are usually ready to be washed.

Monday: "D Day"

Dry Mop
Brush Dogs
Dust
Dark Laundry

Tuesday: "T Day"

Trash
Light Laundry

Wednesday: "Bathroom Day"

Dry Mop
Brush Dogs
Bathrooms
Towel Laundry

Thursday: "Floors Day"

Vaccume
Sweep Deck
Wet Mop
Baby Clothes Laundry

Friday: "Fun Day"

Dry Mop
Brush Dogs
Start Weekend Fun!!!


None of the cleaning we have scheduled takes more than 30 minutes, most of the time it is less than that, so you don't feel so overwhelmed trying to accomplish "it all" in one day...and, it leave the weekend OPEN!  Whoo hooo!


We have a little 1-page calendar that hangs on our fridge that we write this schedule on, as well as any other "family" appointments, so everyone knows what is going on.  It has been working great for the past few months and our house is cleaner now than before we had a baby (crazy huh?).


We also sit down once every two weeks and create a food calendar (same size as the family calendar).  Matt loves to cook as much as I do, so we plan the calendar together for a couple reasons, 1.) so we don't cook the same thing all the time and 2.) so we both approve of what we get to eat! ;)  This calendar also helps ensure we have what we need when we go to the grocery store- since we only go once every two weeks (not a big fan of freezing to death at the Giant doing shopping for things I don't even need!).


I hope that this helps someone stress a little less, and travel a lot more!! =)

A Photo Says a 1,000 words...

Well, those of you that know me know how much I love to take pictures.  I have always loved working towards that elusive "perfect" shot!  I recently, after much encouragement from my amazing husband, decided to start working through my passion.  I truly believe that a photo does say a thousand words.  It brings back memories, feelings, and emotions associated with that particular moment in time, so what better way to archive your memories than a picture?  =)  Now, that also leads me to another one of my loves- Scrapbooking!  But, this is another posting in and of itself!!! 

With a new baby in our house, what better way to practice my "quick snap" photography skills and work on my editing touches with the MAC software, so here I am!! I am going to continue to post pictures of Isabella as I create them, and they will be tagged in family and photography, so they are easy to find.

We were also blessed to be invited to our good friends'- Tara and Jeremy- wedding recently, so I have been working on editing the shots I took there as well.  I will create a post with those pictures, so it can be easily found as well.

I feel blessed by God to be able to use this artistic talent I have to help others smile, make memories, and create a piece of their own history.  Hopefully my pictures will help you understand thousands of words about our family, our lives, and our faith in God.  =)

Here are a few that I have created so far, I hope that you enjoy them!

My husband and I regularly visit various locations around the city.  On this breezy, Spring day, we headed to City Island to walk.  It was one of the first warmer (and by warmer, I mean not snowing multiple feet at a time!) days of Spring and we both wanted to get outdoors as quickly as possible!

Another shot from City Island with the Skyline of Harrisburg in the background.

Isabella Marie

We have a beautiful, healthy baby girl.  Her name is Isabella Marie and she was born on July 8, 2010.  She weighed 7 pounds, 14.4 ounces and was 19 inches long.  She has the fullest head of hair imaginable- I'm not sure where she got this!! =)  

We have loved the name Isabella for a long time and thought this was the perfect name for our little baby!  We chose Marie as her middle name in honor of her two Grandmothers, since they both had the middle name Marie. 


She has been sleeping well and growing to be such a big girl!! She can sit up in her Bumbo chair now and she holds her head up.  She looooves to "talk" in the morning- so we chat while she plays.  I think she will be laughing before too long, it really looks like she wants to- she just can't quite get it out yet!


She has her 2 month appointment on Wednesday, so I will know more specific growth details then!!  Until then, please enjoy some of the photos I have taken of her so far!

 2 day old Baby Bella in phototherapy.  She had to have a 24 hour phototherapy session, to bring her Bilirubin levels down, at the hospital before she was able to leave.  This was THE hardest moment of my life up until this point.  While some may say it isn't a "big deal" it was MY baby that had to go into the little incubator and I was unable to hold her when I wanted!!  Thankfully God had his hand on the entire process and she healed wonderfully, quickly, and 100%!

Bella finally coming home!!

Big yawn after her photo shoot!!

Giggling little girl, having fun at her 6 week photo shoot!  I can't believe how she is growing! =)