Kendra's program

Today Kendra had her first Christmas program ever. She was very shy at first but than she started singing and ringing her jingle bell. It was so cute to watch all the little kids sing. She wore her christmas dress as well and she kept twirling in it. I hope that everyone is doing well and is having a good holiday season.

Lost another loved one

It has been another rough week.We lost another loved one on Nov 30th.My mom's Fiance Neal was out mushroom picking and never returned home.We went searching for him in the woods and our family friend found him dead.He had a massive heart attack at the age of 53. Sometimes life doesn't seem fair when we lose loved ones unexpectledy.We are slowly feeling better but it takes time to heal.

update

It has been awhile since i posted so i thought i would update things. We are all doing well here.Aaron is slowly doing better since the passing of his dad.It has been pretty rough on us. Kendra is doing well in preschool.She has alot of new friends there. I have just been getting things ready for the holidays. I have my Christmas shopping all done thank god ! I have a few presents i am working on for people but they will be done soon. I hope that everyone has a wonderful thanksgiving ! We are going to Aarons moms for dinner and than later on We will be going to my Aunts like we always do.

Sad news

Aaron's dad lost his cancer battle on october 28th. It has been a real hard on Aaron the past couple of days. But we all know that his dad is in a better place. We will be going to his funeral next weekend in springfield.

Here is the obituary from the register guard paper.
Johnnie Fleetwood

A celebration of life will be at 2 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 7, at Springfield Memorial Gardens & Funeral Home for Johnnie Ray Fleetwood of Springfield, who died Oct. 28 of throat cancer. He was 66. Inurnment will be at Springfield Memorial Gardens.

He was born Aug. 14, 1943, in Gary, Texas, to Donnie and Ethel McKinney Fleetwood.

He graduated from Pacific High School in Port Orford. He served with the U.S. Army in Vietnam from 1966 to 1968.

He spent his career working in plywood mills.

He is survived by his mother; a son, Aaron of Coos Bay; two brothers, Joseph of Springfield and David of Tampa Bay, Fla.; three sisters, Patricia Brown and Glenda Noble, both of Springfield, and Barbara Martini of Rainier; and one granddaughter.

Arrangements by Springfield Memorial Gardens & Funeral Home. Remembrances to the American Cancer Society.

update time

We are all doing well here at the Fleetwood household. Kendra is getting super excited for Halloween. She is going to be a chicken this year =) I get to go in to her class on Thursday and help out with the Halloween party. I am excited that she gets to have an actual Halloween party and wear her costume. Aaron is doing good. We had to go to Eugene on Sunday to visit his dad. He is not doing to well with his cancer battle. Hospice is now taking care of him so its only a matter of time. I am doing well just been busy with little things here and there.I hope you are all doing well.

New blog for my recipes

I have decided to start a new blog for my recipes instead of posting them here. I want to use this blog for talking about what's going on with our family =) Here is my new blog page.http://whatiscookingoodlookin.blogspot.com/

Have your own spa day at home

Dry skin? Pineapple facial

Home spa version 3$

1- Wash your face with a moisturizing cleaner

2- Wet a wash cloth in warm water,ring out excess water and place on face for 5 mins

3- In a blender puree 3 pineapple rings, 1 tbs plain yogurt and 3 tbs honey

4- Smooth mask onto face, leave on for 10 mins . rinse and pat dry

Oily Skin? Get a lemon facial

Home spa version 4$

1- Place a warm wash cloth on your clean face for 5 mins

2- Mix 1 tbs lemon juice, 1 tsp water ,1/2 c plain yogurt ,1/4 c cornmeal

3- Massage onto face for 2 mins than rinse and pat dry

Soften your feet with a lime and sea salt scrub

Home spa version 5$

1- Dampen feet

2- Dip half a lime in sea salt and rub over calluses

3- Fill basin with warm water and 2 cups epsom salt soak feet for 10 mins

4- Dry and moisturize with a foot cream

Finally over the flu bug

I am finally happy to say that i am over that nasty flu bug. I am not sure if it was the regular flu or H1N1 but i am glad to be done ! Sunday afternoon i started running a high fever and my whole body felt like i had been ran over by a train ! Aaron was so good at taking care of me and Kendra while i was sick. It lasted about 3 days. I am so thankful that Kendra hasnt gotten it so far (knock on wood) I sanitized everything with the lysol flu spray and washed all the bedding . So i hope that helps prevent the spreading of it.

Southwest Chicken

2-4 Chicken Breasts (I use boneless/skinless)
8 oz. cream cheese
1-2 cans beans, undrained (kidney, black, pinto, chili, whatever)
1 can or the equivalent in frozen corn
1 jar of salsa (whatever kind you like)

Place Chicken in Crockpot, add beans, corn and salsa. Cook on low all day. Around 30 minutes prior to serving, add the entire amount of cream cheese. You can either serve this as a burrito or over rice .

Crockpot Cheesy Chicken

2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 (10 1/2 ounce) cans condensed cream of chicken soup
1 (10 1/2 ounce) can condensed cheddar cheese soup
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
salt and pepper (optional)

Directions:

1. Place chicken breasts in the crock pot.
2. Mix the undiluted soups together with the garlic powder and pour over chicken.
3. Cover and cook on low 6-8 hours , until chicken is tender.
4. Serve with the delicious sauce over rice or noodles.

Turtle pumpkin pie

Prep Time:

15 min

Total Time:

1 hr 15 min

Makes:

10 servings

What You Need!

1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp. caramel ice cream topping, divided

1 HONEY MAID Graham Pie Crust (6 oz.)

1/2 cup plus 2 Tbsp. chopped PLANTERS Pecans, divided

2 pkg. (3.4 oz. each) JELL-O Vanilla Flavor Instant Pudding

1 cup cold milk

1 cup canned pumpkin

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg

1 tub (8 oz.) COOL WHIP Whipped Topping, thawed, divided

Flatbread tacos with ranch sour cream

1 cup sour cream
2 tsp ranch salad dressing mix
1 tsp lemon juice
1 1/2 pounds ground beef
1 can pinto beans drained and rinsed
1 can diced tomatoes undrained
1 pkg taco seasoning
1 tbs hot sauce
1 tube large refrigerated buttermilk biscuits

In a small bowl combine sour cream,dressing mix and the lemon juice. Chill until serving.
In a large skillet cook brown and drain the ground beef. Add the beans,tomatoes,taco seasoning and the hot sauce. Heat through.
Roll out each biscuit into a 6 inch circle. In a small non stick skillet over medium heat cool each biscuit for 30-60 seconds on each side until golden brown.
Put the meat and the sour cream ranch on each flatbread and top with cheese and other desired ingredients.

Oatmeal cranberry white chocolate cookies

2/3 cup butter softened
2/3 cup brown sugar
2 lg eggs
1 1/2 cups old fashioned oats
1 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 6 ounce pkg craisins original dried cranberries
2/3 c white chocolate chunks or chips

Preheat oven to 375
Using an electric mixer,beat together butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs mixing well. Combine oats,flour,baking soda and salt in a separate mixing bowl. Add to the butter mixture a little at a time mixing well. stir in dried cranberries and the white chocolate.
Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto ungresed cookies sheets. bake 10-12 mins or until golden brown. Cool on wire rack. Makes about 2 1/2 dozen cookies

Buffalo chicken dip

1 large can chunk chicken
8 oz. cream cheese
8 oz. blue cheese dressing (or ranch)
6 oz. Franks red hot sauce
1/2 cup minced celery
6 oz. mild cheddar cheese

Put all the ingredients in the crockpot and heat up on low until dip is warm Keep stirring it every hour or so. Serve with tortilla chips,celery sticks or bread chunks.

Kool aid playdough

• 1 cup flour
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup salt
• 3 teaspoons Cream of Tartar
• 1 package Kool-Aid Mix (any flavor of unsweetened)
• 1 tablespoon cooking oil
• Large Sauce Pan
• Small Storage Container
• Stove
• Measuring Cup

Step1

Gather all ingredients and saucepan.

Step2

Mix flour, salt, cream of tartar, and kool aid mix together in a large saucepan.

Step3

Mix water with oil in a cup.

Step4

Place the saucepan on the stove and turn the burner to medium heat.

Step5

Slowly add the water mixed with oil and stir (over medium heat) and stir until the mixture thickens to playdough.

Step6

Place playdough on cutting board, counter top, or table and knead until cool.

Step7

Give to children to enjoy! Encourage them to use their creativity!

Peanut butter edible playdough

• 
  
  • 3 1/2 cups peanut butter
  • 4 cups confectioners' sugar
  • 3 1/2 cups honey
  • 4 cups dry milk powder
  DIRECTIONS

  In large bowl, cream together peanut butter and confectioners' sugar, then beat in honey and fold in milk powder. Divide into 15 equal portions and refrigerate or freeze until ready to use.

Seasoned pretzels

• 1 bottle Orville Redenbacher popcorn oil

  1 pkg dry ranch dressing mix

  1/2 tsp dill weed

  1/2 tsp garlic powder

  30 oz pkg pretzels

  Mix first 4 ingredients and pour over pretzels

  Option 1 - put on cookie sheet and bake at 200 degrees for 1 hour - stirring every 15 min.

  Option 2 - put pretzels in large plastic bag and every once in awhile mix them up overnight or for 24 hours.

  this is the BEST part of these pretzels:

  Cheese Dip:

  8 oz cream cheese

  8 oz sharp cheddar cheese spread (like for crackers)

  1/2 c mayo (not Miracle Whip)

  1/4 tsp garlic salt

  mix and refrigerate 4 hours or for flavors to blend (the longer the better)

Pepperoni pasta salad

1 1/2 c pasta shells
1 c cubed mozzarella cheese
1 pkg slice pepperoni quatered
1/2 c ranch dressing

Cook pasta according to pkg and than drain. Let noodles cool. In a lg bowl combine cheese,ranch and pepperoni add cooled noodles. Toss to coat and let chill before serving

Cream cheese chicken in the crockpot

4 boneless chicken breasts
2 tbls melted butter
1/2 pkg dry ranch dip packet
1 sm can cream of chicken soup
8 oz cream cheese
1/4 c chicken broth

Pour broth into bottom of slow cooker add the chicken . Drizzle the melted butter over the top of the chicken and sprinkle with the ranch packet. Cook on low 6 hours. 45 mins before it is done mix soup and cream cheese in a microwave safe bowl and combine it til smooth.Dump on top of chicken and cook another 35 to 40 mins. I like to serve this over egg noodles or mashed potatoes.

Smothered chicken

2 tbls vegetable oil
6 boneless chicken breasts
1/2 c teriyaki sauce
1/2 c ranch dressing
1 c shredded cheese
3 chopped green onions
4 slices of cooked bacon crumbled

preheat oven to 350. In a skillet heat the oil over med heat and chicken and saute 4-5 mins on each side. place chicken in a 13x9 baking dish. Brush with teriyaki sauce than spoon on the ranch. Top with the remaining ingredients bake 30 mins or until done.

Broccoli Casserole

2 bags of frozen or fresh chopped broccoli
1 sleeve of ritz crackers
1 stick butter
1/2 pound velveta cheese

Cook and drain broccoli until tender. Put in a 13x9 baking dish. Crush the crackers and stir in 1 stick melted butter mix well. Cut up cubes of the cheese and lay on top of broccoli. top with crackers and bake at 350 for 30 mins.
It is best if you can let this sit overnight in the fridge before baking it.

Cheese and bacon roasted potatoes

Cheese and bacon roasted red potatoes

1/2 c ranch dressing
1/2 c shredded cheddar
1/4 c cooked crumbled bacon - i used turkey bacon cuz i love that stuff
2 lbs small red potatoes
1 tbs fresh chopped dill

Heat oven to 350
Wash and quarter the potatoes. In a bowl mix the ranch,cooked bacon, and cheese add potatoes. Toss to coat and spoon into a greased 13x9 baking dish. Cover with foil and bake for 40 mins. remove the foil and bake another 15 mins. I also like to dice some green onions and sprinkle on top of them.

Sunshine potatoes

This is one of my favorite dishes to take to potlucks . It is easy to make and very yummy.

Sunshine Potatoes

1 Lg pkg frozen hash browns - thawed
2 sm cans cream of chicken soup
1/2 cup melted butter
1 pint sour cream
2 1/2 cups shredded cheese
salt and pepper to taste
3 green onions chopped

In a large bowl mix the soup,sour cream,melted butter.green onions and salt and pepper. Mix well and add in hashbrowns. Pour into a 13x9 glass dish coated with cooking spray. Top with cheese and bake at 350 for an hour. Sometimes i like to crush up some regular lays potatoe chips and put on the top also

Fall fun

roloff farm

The pumpkins at Bauman farm


At Bauman farm with uncle and grandma

I just really love the fall season. Last weekend Kendra and I went up to salem with my Mom. We stayed at my brothers house. Kendra is really liking fall this year because she is so into pumpkins and looking at all the halloween decorations people have up around town. We took Kendra to Bauman farms in Woodburn which was a really neat place. They had alot of activities for kids but we didnt do any of them because we were going to Roloff farms as well. Next year we are gonna skip Roloff farms and take her to the Bauman farm activities. Here are some pics of the weekend we had. I hope that you all are having a wonderful day !!!

School is going well

Kendra had her first day of school on tuesday and she had a blast. She has alot of boys in her class and she made alot of new friends. Today was her second day and it went well too. Every day she asks me if it is time for school. So i hope it continues to go smooth for her.

Chocolate chip bars

Hershey's Chocolate Chip

Bars

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup cold butter or margarine
2 cups (12 ounce package) Hershey's semi-
sweet chocolate chips, divided
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1 egg, slightly beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Heat oven to 350 degrees F.

In medium bowl, stir together flour and brown sugar; cut in cold butter until crumbly. Stir in 1/2 cup chocolate chips; press mixture on bottom of ungreased 13 x 9-inch baking pan. Bake 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, in large bowl, combine sweetened condensed milk, egg and vanilla extract. Stir in remaining 1 1/2 cups chips and nuts. Spread evenly over baked crust. Bake 25 minutes or until golden brown. Cool completely in pan on wire rack. Cut into bars.

Makes about 36 bars.

Butterscotch cream cheese bars

Butterscotch Cream Cheese Bars

1 (10 ounce) package butterscotch chips
1/2 cup butter
2 cups graham cracker crumbs
8 ounces cream cheese
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg
1 cup chopped pecan

In a medium saucepan, melt butterscotch chips and butter over low heat. Remove from heat. Stir in cracker crumbs and mix well. Reserve 2/3 cup mixture. Press remainder firmly into bottom of a buttered 13 x 9-inch ovenproof glass baking dish, making a uniform layer.

Heat oven to 325 degrees F.

In a large bowl, beat cream cheese until light and fluffy. Beat in sweetened condensed milk

, vanilla extract and egg; fold in nuts. Pour into prepared pan. Scatter reserved crumb mixture evenly over top. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until cake tester comes out clean. Cool to room temperature, then chill. Cut into 1 1/2 x 2-inch bars to serve.

Time flys

I can't believe it is September already. I am kind of sad to see summer coming to an end. I enjoyed all the nice weather we had this year. But in a way i am looking for to those crisp fall evenings. We stayed home over the holiday weekend and went to a few bbq's and a birthday party. I was glad we didn't have to travel anywhere with all that traffic. Kendra is getting excited because she starts school next tuesday. Aaron has his vacation next week so he will be able to go with us to Kendra's first day of school. I hope that she does well on her first day. She hasn't really been away from Aaron and I other than being watched by family every once in awhile. Well that is it for now.

The southern plate

I just found this awesome webiste today and i wanted to share it with everyone. It is called the southern plate. It has some yummy looking recipes on it. I cant wait to try some !!!
http://www.southernplate.com/index

Good and easy cake

Good -N- Easy Cake- from the southern plate

1 Box White Cake Mix

3 Eggs

1 can Apple Pie Filling

1 Cup Chopped Nuts

Pour apple pie filling out onto a large plate and coarsely chop it up a bit with a knife. Place in mixing bowl and add all other ingredients; mix well. Pour into greased 9×13″ pan.

Topping:

1/2 C Plain Flour

1/2 C White sugar

1 Cup Chopped Pecans

1 tsp Cinnamon

1/4 Cup Softened Margarine or Butter

Mix all topping ingredients well with fork and sprinkle over top of cake before baking.

Bake cake at 350 for 50-55 minutes. Serve warm with homemade whipped cream on top (or store bought if you prefer!).

Homemade Whipped Cream

1 - 2 Cups Heavy Whipping Cream

2-4 Tablespoons sugar

Place cream in chilled mixing bowl and add sugar to taste. I suggest starting with two tablespoons because you can always add more later. Mix on high for about one minute, until soft peaks and ripples form. Serve over warm cake (don’t forget to lick the bowl!)

Homemade whipped cream stores well in refrigerator for several days.

strawberry-ade

I got this recipe from the southern plate

Fresh Strawberry-ade

• 16 ounces fresh strawberries
• 1 Tub Crystal Light Pink Lemonade

Wash and remove tops from strawberries. Place in blender and puree until fully liquefied. Fill two quart pitcher halfway with water. Stir in drink mix. Add strawberry puree and fill the rest of the way with cold water. Stir well. If strawberries aren’t sweet enough, you can add ¼ a cup of Splenda or to taste. I’ve never had to add Splenda!

Serve cold, over ice.

Been gone

So it has been a few days since i have written anything. We were out of town for a few days. We went to salem to my brothers house and took Kendra to the childrens museum in portland. She had alot of fun there. It was a pretty neat place. We also took her to the osborn aquatic center in corvallis.My cousin Kaley is a life guard there so she told us to come check it out. Kendra is such a water dog ! She went down the huge water slide with daddy a few times.

Blackberry festival cobbler

Blackberry cobbler - This recipe is from the blackberry arts festival here in coos bay.

4 cups blackberries frozen or fresh
1cup sugar
1T. flour
1T. cornstarch

Topping: 1 cup flour, 1 cup brown sugar, 1 cup butter (2 sticks), 1/2 t nutmeg, 1 t cinnamon, 1 cup oatmeal mix well sprinkle on top of blackberry mixture. Bake 350 for 35 to 45 minutes

Taco soup and Lasagna soup

TACO SOUP

2 LBS GROUND BEEF

1 ONION DICED

1 PKG TACO SEASONING

1 PKG RANCH DIP MIX

2 CANS CORN - UNDRAINED

1 SM CAN DICED GREEN CHILES - I LEAVE THESE OUT

4 CANS STEWED TOMATOES - UNDRAINED

1 CAN KIDNEY BEANS UNDRAINED

1 CAN PINTO BEANS UDRAINED

I LIKE TO GRATE CHEESE AND PUT ON MY AND GARNISH WITH A LITTLE SOUR CREAM AND CRUNCHED UP TORTILLA CHIPS IN A LG SKILETT BROWN BEEF AND ONION AND DRAIN. IN YOUR CROCKPOT DUMP ALL THE REMAINING INGREDIENTS INCLUDING THE JUICE OUT OF THE BEAN AND VEGGIE CANS. ADD GROUND BEEF AND ONION MIXTURE COOK ON LOW ALL DAY

LASAGNA SOUP

1 pd ground beef

1/2 pd bulk italian sausage

1 sm diced onion

2 c small pasta

1 28 oz can tomato soup

6 tbls grated parmesan cheese

3/4 c water

1 sm tub small curd cottage cheese

1 tbls itailian seasoning

1 tsp garlic powder

1 c diced canned tomatoes undrained

In a large stock pot brown the beef and sausage and onion. Drain the grease. In a seperate pot cook the pasta according to directions on its package. Drain and add to stock pot with the beef mixture in it. Add the remaining ingredients and cook until heated through. I like to serve with some grated parmesan cheese on top and some yummy croutons ...

Cream Cheese ranch bread

CREAM CHEESE RANCH BREAD

2 loaves french bread

8 oz pkg cream cheese softened

1 pkg hidden valley ranch dressing mix

olives,grated cheese and green onions

Cut the french bread down the center. In a bowl mix together the softened cream cheese and the dry ranch packet. Spread mixture on the bread and top bread with cheese,sliced olives and green onions. Cook bread until done

Crispy pretzel bars

Crispy pretzel bars - taste of home

1 cup sugar
1 cup light corn syrup
1/2 c peanut butter
5 cups rice krispies
2 cups pretzel sticks
1 cup plain m&m's

I a large microwaveable safe bowl combine the sugar and corn syrup. Microwave on high for 2 mins or until sugar is dissolved. stir in peanut butter until blended. Add the cereal,pretzels and M&M's. stir until coated. press into a greases 15x10x1 pan cut into bars.

S'mores bars

S'mores bars -from taste of home magazine

8 to 10 whole graham crackers
1 pkg family size fudge brownie mix
2 cups mini marshmallows
1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
2/3 cup chopped peanuts

~ Arrange graham crackers in a single layer in a greases 13x9 baking pan. Prepare the brownies as directed on package. Spread over the graham crackers

~ Bake at 350 for 25-30 mins . Sprinkle with marshmallows,chocolate chips and peanuts. Bake another 5 mins. Let cool on rack before cutting

The dinner struggle

So i always struggle on what to cook for dinner each night. I get tired of making the same old things like tacos,spaghetti or chicken. Now i will never have to struggle again on what to cook thanks to this awesome website i came across. It has very good recipes in it that i am gonna try out. http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/ . I hope you all can find this website as useful as i am going to.

My first diaper cake

So a few months ago i attended my friend Amanda's baby shower. I didn't want to get her just an ordinary gift so i decided to attempt to make a diaper cake. I was pretty easy to do and i had fun making it.

The quilt

Yesterday I received a very special gift from a great friend Andrea. She made me a gorgeous quilt. I really really love it. I met Andrea in an online group that i belong to called the sisterhood. I have been in the group about 2 years now and have made some really great friends. Most of us live half way across the country from each other but it is still so nice to have these women to talk to. The founder of the group lives here in oregon and i will meet her someday soon =) All of us group members sent fabric to Andrea and she made quilt for each of us out of everyone's material. After everyone gets their quilts i will post a pic of mine. So i don't spoil it for the others that haven't seen theirs yet. If you ever want a really great quily made you should look Andrea up =) She has her own online shop at etsy.

Preschool

Well it is almost that time of year again when the kids start school. I am happy to say that this year little miss Kendra will go to school as well. She is enrolled in the 3 year old preschool class. She has been begging me forever to go to school. I really think that she will enjoy it. She already knows her ABC's and shapes and colors and can count to 20. So she should do just fine.She starts sept 15th and will go 2 days a week for 2.5 hours. I sure hope that she doesnt get kicked out lol. That would be so embarassing. She is a good kid for the most part. This will be her first time away from momma other than when she gets watched by family. I am a little scared but excited too. I will keep you all updated on her school progress.

Here it goes

So i have decided to take the plunge and start a blog. Not sure if i will keep it up daily but will try to post at least once a week.I think that this could be a fun thing for me. I will blog about all different things just so i don't bore you =)