52 Week Photo Project: Week 38

Barn Building

I always wanted to marry someone handy.  Not that I'm completely helpless or anything, but I feel like men should just have this innate knowledge of how to build and fix things.  I think I outkicked my coverage on this item when I landed The Boy from Texas.  He recently built a barn.  A BARN.  By himself (well, our friend Chaz helped two days and I held posts once or twice while he poured cement).  

I took it upon myself to document the progress as he worked.

Open area before construction began.

Framing gates in the very beginning.

Frame for the roof was done here.

Added in fences.

BB assisted when it was time to start with the tin.

Tin going up.

Gates in place.

Final product

Newlywed in the Kitchen {2016} Recipe #14: Kylee's Chicken Pot Pie

**Quick reminder:  This is your LAST DAY to enter the Pink Blush Giveaway!**

In an attempt to keep the family fed after LL arrives, I have decided to start making some meals I can freeze. The Boy from Texas' cousin, Kylee, suggested chicken pot pie and gave me her recipe.  I modified slightly to fit my spice cabinet and it turned out delicious!  I just doubled the recipe and froze half of the filling.  All I will have to do is thaw it and put it in a pie crust and we'll have dinner.

I thought it turned out really tasty and honestly can't wait to have the batch in the freezer! BB liked the chicken and the crust but picked out the veggies.  The Boy from Texas was grumpy so I think he ate cereal that night.  Ha!

Kylee's Chicken Pot Pie

Olive oil

1 pound chicken

3 stalks celery

4 carrots

Minced onion (she uses real onion)

1C frozen peas 

1C frozen green beans

Seasoning (His cousin uses thyme, salt, pepper. I used celery salt, parsley, bay leaves, Rosemary, oregano, salt, pepper, garlic powder.)

1 can cream of chicken soup (she uses cream of mushroom)

Frozen crust (She uses a Pillsbury one that is square. I could not find that so I just used a generic brand deep dish crust.  You want the one with two crusts so you have one for the top.)

Cook chicken in olive oil until browned. Put aside in large bowl. 

Sauté chopped carrots, celery, onion covered in olive oil until soft.  Add frozen veggies and sauté until thawed.  Add seasoning.  Put all veggies into bowl with chicken.

Add soup to bowl and mix well. 

Place filling into pie crust.  Cover with other pie crust.  Bake as instructed.

{To make this freezer friendly, all I did was prep the filling as listed above and then put it into a freezer bag instead of into the crust.  When I'm ready to use it, I'll just need to thaw, pour the filling into a pie crust, and bake.}

Newlywed in the Kitchen {2016} Recipe #13: Pioneer Woman's Sausage Gravy

Basically if the Pioneer Woman recommends it, I like it.  We don't eat biscuits and gravy too often, but this is a quick, easy recipe for a hearty breakfast. The Boy From Texas liked it, BB didn't really like the sausage but was all about the biscuits with gravy on them if you picked the sausage out. So I'll call that an overall positive review from the men of the house.

Pioneer Woman's Sausage Gravy 

(Serves 5-6)

1 pound breakfast sausage

1/3 C flour 

3-4 C milk

Salt and pepper to taste 

Biscuits (I am lazy and used ones out of a can. If you want to make PW biscuits, click here.)

Brown sausage in skillet.  Slowly add in flour and allow sausage to absorb.  Then add milk about 1 cup at a time, stirring well.  Let cook on low until gravy thickens.  It will take a bit to thicken.  (I like thick gravy so I just used 3 C of milk.)

Season with salt and pepper. 

Serve over biscuits. 

Pink Blush Review & Giveaway!

We all know, a fashion blogger I am not.  But...today I'm channeling my inner Living in Yellow and The Fisk Files and giving it a whirl thanks to Pink Blush.

Finding maternity clothes that are cute, comfy, and affordable can be a challenge.  Enter Pink Blush.  They have an amazing selection of maternity clothes!  When I saw this red tunic, I knew my closet needed it.

It is super soft, just the right length, and my favorite thing is that I can wear it now at 35 weeks, but will still be able to wear it even when I am not pregnant!

I paired it up with some life changing black leggings {from here....they're a must purchase!} and silver sandals.  I also added a pearl bracelet (and had on a pearl necklace until BB tried to eat it).  To dress it up a bit I would just trade out the sandals for some black pumps. 

This same tunic also comes in blue, but due to that shade being the color of a rival school and Mr. and Mrs. Franklin basically forbidding me from anything "Grady blue" for so long, I just couldn't choose it...but you guys can!  Black is the third color option.

Intrigued by Pink Blush?  You should be.  Not pregnant?  That's ok...they have "regular" clothes too! 

How about a $75 gift card to spend on their site?  Thanks to their generosity, I will be giving a gift card to one lucky winner!  To enter, just comment below and tell me two things: (1) What Pink Blush item is on your list?? (2) What is your favorite weeknight dinner recipe?  

The fine print: Entries will close on Wednesday, September 28 at 9:00 am CST.  If you've won a Pink Blush gift card in the last 3 months, you're not eligible to win again...sorry!

Good luck and happy shopping!

{Also a huge thanks to my girl Dylan who is always willing to show up with a camera when I need her!}

52 Week Photo Challenge: Week 37

52 Week Photo Challenge: Week 36

Newlyweds in the Kitchen {2016} Recipe # 12: Blueberry Pancakes

I love a good pancake.  This recipe is so easy that I pretty much always have the ingredients in the house. The addition of blueberries makes it feel fancier to me.  

The Boy from Texas and BB both had seconds, so it's husband and kid approved. 

Blueberry Pancakes

(Serves 4)

1 C flour 

1 T sugar 

1/2 t baking powder 

1/2 t baking soda

1/2 t salt

2 eggs

1 C milk

1 T vanilla 

2 T melted butter 

1/2 C blueberries (if desired)

Mix dry ingredients in bowl.  In second bowl, mix wet ingredients. Mix two bowls together.  Cook on hot griddle.

Family (and 1 Year and Maternity) Photos

My amazing friend and our official family photographer has done it yet again.  It all started when I asked her to shoot our wedding....her first professional gig.  Then it continued on with maternity photos.  And newborn photos.  And a year later, we're back.  We're aiming for frequent flier status at Britt Fisk Photography.

I'd be lying if I didn't tell you my favorite part of scheduling photo shoots with her is knowing that I'll get to spend a few hours with one of my absolute favorite people!  We've been friends since high school and she's just the very best.  And what she can do with a camera?  Well, I'll let the photos do the talking.

Funny Conversations with the Boy from Texas (Part X)

We haven't done one of these Funny Conversations posts in a while, so I've been jotting down a few comical moments.

{The Boy from Texas put away the dishes from the drainer while I was gone.}

Me: Did you just put this stuff all in random places? 

TBFT:  Yea, think of it like hide and seek.

{On a Sunday evening after we had been home all weekend.}

TBFT:  How can BB tear up so much stuff so quickly?  We need to pay the babysitter more.

{We were about to walk out of my cousin's wedding reception to take BB home.}

TBFT: Hey wait we can't go yet.  Your brother needs me to be a ring man while he auctions off the bride and groom.


TBFT:  Where is BB?
Me:  I think he's in his room.
{TBFT walks to his room and turns on the light.}
TBFT:  Um...he's in here standing up on his recliner in the dark.  I'm going to say that's not good parenting.


{After a heated discussion we had regarding the meaning of "drench" as it pertains to show lambs.}
TBFT to our neighbor:  We just had a long fight about drenching.
Neighbor:  Oh, well what did you guys say about the drench I use?
TBFT:  Oh no, it wasn't that kind of argument.  It was about the technical meaning of the term drench.
Me:  As you can tell, this was really stupid.
TBFT:  And this is how we spend our evenings.