Welcome Home, Maggie Mae

This past Thursday, Brad and I adopted a sweet 10 month old golden retriever mix from the humane society.  Her name is Maggie Mae and we are quickly falling in love with her.  She is already housebroken, crate trained, and sleeping through the night.  She can even sit, give high fives, and fetch!  She has had a ball so far being here.  She already loves the dog park and has a new best friend next door named Ginger.  Ginger is also a rescued retriever mix, so they are perfect for each other.  Maggie is our second rescue dog and I don't know if we could ever do it another way after this.  Rescue dogs may need some extra love and attention, but they pay it all back ten fold with their love!  Our last dog Jake, didn't really have a back story other than we knew he had been in the pound in the Charlotte area for about 2 years.  He was the sweetest dog ever!  We were so heart broken when we had to put him to sleep this past fall.  Maggie was taken from a home where they had her chained up in the back yard and the chain was growing into her neck.  She still has the scars under her soft puppy fur.  When she was taken, a doctor took her in, but with 12 hour shifts, wasn't able to give her proper love and attention.  He took her to the humane society with hopes someone would adopt her.  About a week later, she is ours and we are so happy! 

Sew, Mama, Sew Fat Quarter Idol

Recently one of my favorite blogs started to do a fat quarter idol, in which they release a theme and allow their followers to pin fabrics to a pinterest board of that theme.  Next, Sew, Mama, Sew chooses 10 pin boards and allows everyone to vote on their three favorites.  Guess who made it to the top 10 for round 4? Me!  Yay!  So, please go to the link below and vote for me (and 2 others of your choice).

The winner has their fat quarter bundle for sale in their shop and receives a free fat quarter bundle of their creation!  Check out my pics...

Here is the link:  Sew, Mama, Sew Fat Quarter Idol - Round 4

Now, go vote! (please.)

Slow Cooker Round-up

If you are anything like us right now, then you are busy, busy, busy.  The last few weeks of school are always so hectic and stressful.  Brad is busy with projects at work and school.  The crock pot is such a life saver for us on days like these.  Just put the ingredients in before you leave for work and when you come home, your house smells amazing and dinner is ready!  Fabulous!  Here are some different slow cooker recipes to try!

1.  Crock Pot French Onion Soup by Smashed Peas and Carrots

2.  Balsamic Honey Pulled Pork Sliders by BHG

3.  Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken Lasagna by Six Sisters' Stuff

4.  Slow Cooker Chicken and Rice by Southern Plate

5.  Crock Pot Chicken Tacos by Chocolate Therapy

6.  Slow Cooker Lemon Garlic Chicken by The Kitchn

7.  Slow Cooker Chicken with Bacon, Mushrooms, and Onions by Real Simple

8.  Slow Cooker Chili Beef Soft Tacos by My Recipes

9.  Slow Cooker Cranberry Chicken by BHG

10.  Slow Cooker Chicken and Biscuits by Real Simple

Armadillo Nachos

One of our favorite places in town is called the Armadillo Grill.  One of our favorite things to eat there is their nachos.  All of the ingredients taste so fresh.  I created an at-home version of their nachos and wanted to share it with you all! 



Armadillo Nachos

Ingredients:

1 lb. ground beef
1 pkt. taco seasoning
tortilla chips
shredded lettuce
1 tomato, diced
1 can rotel, drained
1 small pkg. Velveeta cheese

optional:  sour cream, jalapeno peppers

Directions:

Brown the ground beef in skillet over medium heat.  Drain meat and return to skillet.  Add the taco seasoning and cook following package directions. 

Meanwhile, cut Velveeta into cubes and add the drained can of rotel.  Melt cheese mixture in microwave, checking and stirring it several times.

Place tortilla chips on plate and top with melted cheese mixture.  Next, add the ground beef.  Then you can add the toppings of your choice.  We used shredded lettuce and tomatoes.  The Armadillo Grill also puts jalapeno peppers on theirs with a side of sour cream.

ENJOY!

Down East ALS Walk

A retired teacher from the high school I work at and the mother of a co-worker friend is battling ALS.  She is an amazing person!  She always has a smile on her face, tells it like it is, and still volunteers in our school library.  Everyone that crosses her path in life adores her!  This morning we walked at the Down East ALS walk in her honor!  It was a motley crew comprised of teachers, friends, family, and students.  We all had our matching green "team Brenda" shirts on and had a lot of fun!  A grand total of $80,000 was raised for this great cause.  And of course "team Brenda" walked away with several awards.

Team Brenda!!

Happy Cinco de Mayo!

I love Cinco de Mayo!  For me, it reminds me that summer is, oh so close!  The yummy food and fun times with friends adds to my enjoyment of this day! Here are some links for some last minute Cinco de Mayo ideas:

Frida bird painting via Geninne's Art Blog

Cinco de Mayo party decor via Style Me Pretty

Copy cat chipotle guacamole via Budget Savvy Diva

Quick taco salad via Kraft foods

Crunch tortilla chicken via Cinnamon Spice and Everything Nice

Pinata cookies via She Knows

Tres Leches Cake via The Pioneer Woman