What We Did....A BIG Purchase!

See...what had happened was...

Isn't that a great way to start a story?

Seriously though, here is the scoop on a purchase that happened about 5 months earlier than planned.

Meet Kitty.

Named after what the little girl in "Monster's Inc" called Sullivan.

And because this car was covered in all things KSU Wildcats, it seemed appropriate.

 We bought Kitty about 5 years ago after someone T-Boned the side of our Toyota Tacoma.

We used the money from that accident to pay for her.

In fact in all our years of marriage (coming up on 9 here), we've only had car payments for about 1 of them.

Anyways, she fit our needs and treated us well.

We did a lot of maintenance on her, but always said it was better than having car payments that we couldn't afford.

Flash forward to the last month.

Bud called me.

He was in a fender bender.

Going approximately 20 miles an hour, he looked into his rearview mirror and then his head was in the airbag.

The crash investigator said, "You hit the airbag sensor perfectly.  It shouldn't have gone off at that slow of a speed.  I saw a car that flipped 2 or 3 times last week and it's air bags didn't deploy.  PS your vehicle is most likely totalled".

Ugh!

Not in the plans.

The plans were to hold out until June when Bud gets his promotion.

We would then feel comfortable having car payments.

Plans change.

Sure enough the insurance people did their thing and declared her a total loss.

I have to say this couldn't have all happened at a better time though.

We filed our taxes, I love to get money back.

We received a special gift from Bud's Grandpa.

And the insurance company gave us Kitty's value in cash, which as it turns out was more than we had paid for her 5 years ago.

It was time to start our search for a 'new' car.

We had a price range we wanted to stay within, that would allow us to have 40% to put down on the vehicle.

We also had a few things we knew we wanted since this next car was going going to be with us for at least 7 years.

That list of things included: Leather seats (easy clean up with kid(s), I wanted a sunroof, lower than 40K mileage, silver or white, and Bud wanted bluetooth capability).

Here is where I will offer our piece of advice for all of you who are in the market for a vehicle.

DO NOT BE AFRAID TO LOOK OUT OF STATE.

We used Cars.com, USAA (our insurance) has a car buying service, and even eBay will list dealer vehicles.

Let me tell you this was our first vehicle as a married couple, purchased from a dealership.

I've ALWAYS purchased private party.

We searched and had about 3 vans we had our heart set on (PS we also knew we really wanted a Toyota Sienna- better gas mileage than an SUV and in our opinion more comfortable).

Well one van would sell and then we'd find another that would fill it's place.

We talked with sales reps and crunched numbers, but in the end if they couldn't meet our price we walked away.

Finally, a dealership in Palm Beach, Florida passed all our tests.

It was a van we had seen early in the process and kept coming back to.

Ultimately, we opted to fly Bud down to make the purchase and to drive the van home.

This dealership was USAA approved which meant we got an additional $200 off our price and that covered Bud's airfare down there!

All in all we've been asked "WHY didn't you buy locally"?

Our answer: "We saved nearly $2000 going out of state".

I may not clip coupons, I may not always shop the clearance section, but when it comes to big purchases we work hard to stay on budget.

We opted to put my student loan payments on hold until after Bud gets his promotion so that we would be comfortable with our payments now.

In the end our car payments, ugh, are under our target price range and we have a van that we LOVE so much.

2011 Toyota Sienna XLE and she only had 35K on her!

 She passed the BIG test ;) of whether or not Bud & I could both have a Route 44 Sonic beverage up front!

Answer pictured above, YES!

 We got our white van with leather seats, bluetooth, sunroof, a 7 yr/100,000 mile bumper to bumper & power-train warranty and a few other perks we didn't even know existed.

She's going to be with us for awhile.

Through cross country moves, hopefully an expanding family, and so much more.

Another perk:

It's easy to get Bitsy in and out her car seat and none of us are cramped anymore.

It's so easy to get her out and such a smooth ride that this is her after a short ride home from the DMV.

PASSED out.

She was moved to her crib shortly after this, but isn't she lovely just laying there snuggled up with a blankie?

Moral of this story is....utilize the internet to find what you want, don't settle, and KNOW what you want and how much you can get it for before you go to a dealership.  Also, don't be afraid to travel to get what you want.

I hope you have a Blessed Wednesday!

Oh and in case you were wondering we haven't decided fully on a name for our new van, but my Wheel of Fortune loving hubby is leaning towards Vanna White (get it... it's a white van?).  Thank you to my friend Julie for suggesting such a fun name!

Baked S'mores

I'm looking over the weather and surveying where all of my friends and family live and I'm seeing a lot of snow.

I mean A LOT!

Our forecast today is a high of 57º, but in Kansas there are predictions of 12-18" of snow!

All that cold weather makes me long for warm summer nights and S'Mores!

Since campfires and stick skewered marshmallows are not quite an option for most I guess we will have to settle for this yummy oven baked S'Mores alternative!

Don't worry, it's almost as good as the real thing!

Here Is What You'll Need:

- 1-1/2 cups marshmallow creme

- 5 to 6 Hershey bars

- 1/4 tsp salt

- 1 tsp baking powder

- 3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs

- 1-1/3 cup flour

-1 tsp vanilla

- 1 large egg

- 1/2 cup sugar

- 1/4 cup brown sugar

- 1/2 cup butter, room temperature

Preheat your oven to 350º and grease a 8x8 baking dish.

In a large bowl, cream the sugar and butter.

Add egg and vanilla and continue mixing until well combined.

In a smaller bowl  mix the flour, graham cracker, baking powder and salt.

Add dry mixture to butter mixture and combine well.

Divide your dough in half.

Take 1st half of dough and press into bottom of baking dish.

Layer your Hershey bars over the dough.

Now spread your marshmallow fluff over the chocolate bars.

This is the hardest part ;) 

Next you'll want to cover the top with the last 1/2 of the dough.

My suggestion is to roll out the dough and lay it over the fluff.

It can be many small pieces or one large.

Bake for 30-35 minutes or until the dough starts to turn golden.

Cool for 30 minutes, cut and enjoy!

Finally I have an after photo for y'all!  

I highly recommend you share this treat.

It's uber sweet.

It's utterly sinful.

It's the perfect substitution for the real thing!

I hope you have a Blessed Tuesday!

Mashed Taters in the Crockpot

Good Morning!

How has everyone been doing with 'Be Flexible'?

Did anything happen this past weekend that you threw caution to the wind and opted for spontaneity instead?

There is still plenty of time to work on this weeks challenge.

In the mean time let me show you how to make one of the ultimate comfort foods.

Here is What You'll Need:

- 5 lbs of cubed Russet Potatoes

- 1/3 cup warm milk

- 1 teaspoon salt

- 1/4 teaspoon ground pepper

- 1-1/4 cup sour cream

- 2 oz of cream cheese

- 1 stick of butter cut into small cubes

- 1 garlic clove minced

- not pictured - 1-1/2 cups chicken broth

Place your peeled/cubed potatoes into crock pot.

(remember to spray non-stick spray for easy clean-up later).

Add broth and butter and cook on high for 4-5 hours.

Now mash your potatoes!

Add remaining ingredients and continue mashing.

Serve up your warm, yummy mashed potatoes!

This made a LOT of mashed potatoes so I divided my recipe in half and froze the 2nd half for another day!

I hope you all are staying warm.

We had 65º weather on Friday and then SNOW on Saturday.

Brrr!

Not cool NC, not cool ;)

Have a blessed Monday!

Be...Flexible

At the beginning of the year I mentioned that I wanted to do a series on Friday's this year that focused on stepping out of our comfort zones and thinking more creatively.

It's been 6 weeks since I posed that challenge and I'm just now getting a chance to start it!

I am sorry about that.

However, with that being said our 'Be' challenge this week is....

BE Flexible.

Life happens.

And when it happens we have a couple of ways of reacting to it:

a.) Freak out

b.) Ignore it

c.) Roll with it

I think we all need to work on rolling with it a little more.

I haven't been as consistent posting lately.

I could be really hard on myself about that,

I could spew a line of excuses a mile long,

or I could just be honest.

My heart wasn't feeling the blog lately.

It needed a break.

Time to restore and refresh.

But I'm working on getting back.

I'm working on being flexible with my expectations of myself, of others, of days and weeks, and of life in general.

As organized as I love being, somethings pop up and change our plans.

Is there an area in your life where you need to learn to "Be Flexible"?

Maybe it's not a theoretical concept, maybe it's a literal.

Maybe some of us need to get out of our comfort zone and literally start being more physically flexible.

Yoga?

Pilates?

Basic Stretching?

This week I challenge you to work on being flexible.

If some engagement pops up that you didn't have planned on the calendar, instead of thinking..."Ugh, why now?"

Try to think of how spontaneity is the spice of life!

If dinner burns, don't get upset.

Order in or have a fend for yourself night (sandwiches, cereal, whatever is in the house).

The goal this week is to roll with the punches and see if removing a few restrictions in turn removes a little stress.

Besides we all know we could use a little less stress, right!

I hope you have a Blessed Friday! 

Valentine's Day Banner

It's really convenient when a holiday falls on my craft post day, because then I get to share what I've been up to lately!

We don't really celebrate Valentine's day in our house.
That being said I don't mind decorating a little bit for it.
This year I made a pretty Valentine's day Banner that anyone can whip up in less than half an hour!

You'll need 2 sheets of felt.

I chose red and pink.

Cut the sheets in half.

Line up the edges.

Sew them together.  

I did a 1/4" seam allowance, but you can do more if you like.

Now fold the felt over itself, line up your edges....

and sew again.

See how the first sewn portion forms the inner part of the heart?

Now create your pattern.

I opted to use pom poms.

Taking a needle and thread begin to pierce through each heart.

I liked to pierce the side, the center and the other side.

The pierce each pom pom.

Continue until all your hearts and poms are strung up.

Then hang!
It was just the perfect filler for that empty space this month.
I'm curious to see if I could make smaller hearts and turn them into 4 leave clovers for next month.
Hmmm....the wheels are turning, I guess we'll just have to see if the concept reaches fruition!

I hope you have a Blessed Thursday and a Happy Valentine's Day!

Reese's Pie

I have a taste treat for anyone who needs a Valentine's Day sweet!

Here is What You'll Need:

- 1 chocolate cookie pie crust

- large box of instant chocolate pudding

- 1-1/2 cups of milk

- 8 oz tub of cool whip

- 15 Reese's Peanut Butter Cups!

In a large bowl mix the pudding and milk.

Whisk in the cool whip.

Unwrap Peanut Butter Cups and cut into bite size pieces.

Fold Peanut Butter Cups into the pudding mix.

Spoon mixture into cookie crust.

Freeze for at least 3 hours.

Remove from freezer 15 minutes before serving.

Satisfy your sweet tooth with a little bit of peanut butter and chocolate goodness!

I hope you all have a Blessed Tuesday!

Parmesan Meatloaf

I'm back.

Again.

Where have the days gone?

Are we seriously almost half way thru the month of February?

Today I'm going to share one of my favorite recipes!

Lately when have company over for dinner OR when someone we know has a baby, I make either my Chicken Enchiladas or this.... Parmesan Meatloaf!

Here Is What You'll Need:  

- 2 lbs hamburger

- 2 eggs

- 1/4 cup bread crumbs

- 1/2 teaspoon basil, thyme, and oregano

- 2 cloves minced garlic

-1 small onion finely chopped

- 1/2 teaspoon of salt

- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

- 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

- 1/2 pasta sauce

- 1/2 cup shredded italian cheese blend

Preheat oven to 350º

Lightly grease a loaf pan.

In a large bowl, add beef, eggs, breadcrumbs, thyme, oregano, basil, garlic, onion, salt & pepper, and parmesan cheese.

Gently mix ingredients with your hands.

Don't over handle.

Place in greased pan.

Top with pasta sauce.

Bake for an hour.

Remove from oven and sprinkle remaining cheese on top.

Place back in the oven for 5-10 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Remove a 2nd time and allow to set for 5-10 minutes before slicing and serving.

Yet again I failed to get a finished photo....we scarfed it all down too fast!
I think most of you know what Meatloaf looks like so I'm not too concerned....but if not, shoot me a message and the next time I make this (which will be soon) I'll be sure to take a final picture!

I hope you had a Blessed Monday!