February 28

New Button ")

In case you didn't notice...

<center><a href="http://boxfullofhobbies.blogspot.com/" target="_blank" title="Box Full of Hobbies"><img alt="Box Full of Hobbies" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3_izfZjfEowZuzeZDXV3nzUdWY7QAE-eAcY7iauZa8w_VV1Ac8Y6yReV5JOFD22gL4me6L0lYs53CRPGpo-uRZnAgLi9mJqkv71Or-GjUo5APWXM_oN10buhgATNFwCeE3AMD_Jt4ePQ/" width="195" /></a> </center>

just a quickie....

I was checking out etsy this morning, and I fell in love with this bag!

Bayan Hippo has a ton of really cute bags!  

Have a great Sunday!

February 26

February 23

Carne Guisada... the real tex-mex way

Just to let you know I didn't measure anything, so all the "quantities" are guess-timations ")

Sorry about the crappy picture, just used my phone.

About 3 lbs. lean stew meat (or if you want a larger chunk, get some lean round steak and cut into large pieces)

1 onion diced/chopped

1 green bell pepper diced/chopped

6/7 garlic cloves chopped fine

1(14.5 oz) can of diced tomatoes

some flour to make a roux

salt pepper and few dashes of cumin

Put meat in a large pot fill with water until it covers the meat with about 1 inch of water. Add a little bit of salt and pepper(maybe like a teaspoon to a teaspoon and a half) Bring to a boil.

Drain meat reserving the "broth"

In a large skillet, add some olive oil and heat over high heat. Once pan is hot add the meat (BE CAREFUL NOT TO BURN YOURSELF) stir occasionally to brown, put meat back into the original large pot.

Add the onions, bell pepper, and garlic. Saute until onions are translucent.

Skim some of the fat off the top of the reserved broth and put into a small saucepan. Add flour to make a thick roux, season it with a little bit of cumin and some pepper. You will need quite a bit of roux to really thicken your gravy at the end.

Add some broth(about 1 cup) to the onions, bell pepper, and garlic. Stir scrapping the bottom. Add to the meat. Add the can of tomatoes.

Add about a cup of broth to the roux to thin it out a little bit and then pour into your meat. Add more broth until the meat and veggies are covered. Bring to boil and the turn down to a simmer and cover let cook for at least 2 hours. If your gravy still isn't think enough mix some cold water with corn starch or flour then add to your carne guisada bring to a boil to help it thicken. Also the last hour or so that you cook it, remove the lid.

Do a taste test to see how much salt you need to add. I ended up adding about 2 teaspoons.

Boom. Serve with flour tortillas or mashed potatoes, or both. ")

BTW a really good flour tortilla recipe can be found HERE. If you go through the trouble of making carne guisada you totally need to make some homemade flour tortillas to go with it!

New ink.... at last

Please don't use photo without permission, and please don't copy the design. ")

So, I've been waiting to get this done for a while. Wanting to find the right guy for the job. And I'm soooooo happy with the way the designed turned out. I just got the outline done today. I can't wait for this piece to be finished!

All the great things

Been feeling pretty busy lately. Since I got back from NY I've had to do a ton of photo editing. I've been booking a lot more photo gigs. AND  I have tons of great news!

I'm just going to straight up bust out a quick list.

Applied for my DBA(doing business as) for Awkward Eye Photography
Also applied for a tax id for my business
Got some studio lights for CHEEEEEEEEAP
Chris got me a Macbook (for really cheap as far as macbooks are concerned)
Booked 4 Weddings!!
Jocelyn started crawling AND got her first tooth
Josiah is finally showing interest in potty training (slightly but i'm hopeful)
We got a new bed (so goodbye 34 year old mattress)
We have both our cars back so I won't be trapped in my house all the time anymore
I'm getting my sleeve started on Monday!


So, needless to say..... Life has been pretty fabulous.

I'll have to get my Project 365 photo updated this week. I'm pretty sure I've miss a few days, but hey, I'm still trying.

And I'll be dedicating a post to my NY trip. We didn't do much but it was a lovely trip. I really enjoyed being able to hang out with my sister.

I've been pretty crappy at this whole blogging thing lately, but I'm going to try to get a little better. ")

February 17

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February 2

SNOW!

This time tomorrow I will be up in the air, on my way to Horseheads, New York.

I can NOT wait!!!!!! Not only do I get to see my sister, brother -in-law and nephew, Not only does Josiah and Jocelyn get to play with their cousin, Not only am I going to eat some amazing pizza. BUT I will be going to New York(and East Coast for that matter) for the first time and I will be seeing snow for the first time. 

The only thing that make me a little nervous is how the kids are going to do on the flights. I will be flying by myself with both of the kids. But they are so good I'm pretty sure I won't have much problem. 

I've been trying to get all pack and prepared. I made hats for both Josiah and Jocelyn. I seriously can't wait. I will tell all about it when I get home. I'm definitely going to miss Chris, but it will make it that much sweeter when I see him again.

Click For Josiah Hat Pattern

Click for Jocelyn's Hat Pattern

February 1