Book Sales and Fat Pants

Hey everyone! I hope you all had a fantastic Thanksgiving week! I think I have peeled (and eaten) my weight in potatoes.

 How crazy is it that Christmas is only ONE MONTH AWAY?! I only have a handful of gifts left to buy and I will be finished Christmas shopping.  Do you have all of your Christmas shopping done? If not, here’s a shameless plug for my first children’s book! If you have little ones that you need to shop for, or if you do family gifts on a budget, or both, my new book is a perfect gift option! It’s only ten dollars and is prime eligible on Amazon. I will be putting a link for the book at the end of this post. Keep an eye out for future posts that will include a teaching resource on Teachers Pay Trachers to go along with my book for all of you teachers out there!

I was so excited about my book that I forgot to document very many outfits the last few weeks, and to be honest looking cute was not a priority of mine last week. My theme last week was more holiday hobo than chic, but I did manage to get my act together a couple of days! I know some of you are going to throw a bible at me and hiss, but have you checked out Walmart’s clothes lately? They are ROCKING it. I have bought three sweaters and a flannel that are super cute, comfy, cheap, and have held up extremely well in the wash! In each picture the tops are from Walmart and the pants from my favorite boutique, Rustic Rose.

I hope you all have a great week! Check out my book and tell you friends!

https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B077PPFFBS

French Toast and Title Pages

Hey everyone! In continuing the efforts to perk myself up, I made an AWESOME new recipe for breakfast this morning, and I wanted to share! I also want to share some progress of my silly little book. Guys, it’s going to happen. I’m going to publish online with the graphic design help of one amazing sister-in-law. The tentative title is “Why did My People Bring a Tree Inside?”. It’s about Christmas from the point of view of the pets. I think all of our little pups would love to eat some of the French toast I made this morning, along with all the treats they get into in my book! 😊 I hope you are all having a great weekend and a safe deer season!

Recipe:

Half a loaf of vanilla brioche, I came out with six slices.
2 eggs
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup milk (you could use all cream for extra extravagance 😁)
Cinnamon-however much you like!

Preheat over to 350

On medium heat, melt butter in the skillet (think grilled cheese amounts of butter). While the butter melts, soak the vanilla brioche in the egg mixture for about two minute per side. Put the soaked bread in the hot skillet and cook for 3-5 minutes on each side. Put the toast from the pan to a cookie sheet, and bake at 350 for 10 minutes. Serve with syrup and butter and a sprinkle of cinnamon, some candies pecans would be divine on the French toast, too! It was the creamiest, most flavorful French toast I’ve ever had!

Long Time, No Talk

Hey everyone! I'm so sorry I haven't hopped on here in an entire month. To be honest with all of you I've had some medical issues that aren't life threatening, but very depressing. I have been struggling lately and have been trying to work through being sad and bitter.  In efforts to try to perk myself up, I've started a new creative project.  I have been working on a children's book about our dogs, and I'm hoping to publish it soon! It's corny, and goofy, and very childish, but maybe some kids will find some joy in it. As I get more involved in the publishing process I'll be sharing more about release dates and sales! I hope all of you out there with little ones hug them extra tight and love and care for your children the best you can. And maybe, pick up a silly copy of my silly book hopefully by this winter! I hope you all are having a wonderful fall!

Here's a sneak peak at my illustrating I've done for my book!

It Was My Birthday and I'll Forget to Post if I Want To

Hey everyone! I hope you all have had a great couple of weeks! I had full intentions of posting last week, but life happens. I've been on BAD autopilot these last couple of weeks and I'm having a hard time snapping out of it despite my best efforts. I have definitely learned to never say the phrase, "it can't get any worse" ever again because y'all, it can. Even though I'm auto piloting through life, I have managed to keep myself busy and my mind kinda occupied by spending lots and lots of time with our dogs. I love taking Luna for walks when it's nice and cool out, ya know, the three days this fall it's been nice and cool. One day last week it was wonderful outside and the girls and I played and walked and played some more and had the best time. I tired to get some good pictures of us, but they had other ideas.

I have also been doing a lot of cooking and looking at home building things on Pinterest to boost my mood. Gotta do what ya gotta do. After that last statement I'm sure you can guess I have some recipes that I tried and loved to share with you all, and I actually have some fashion pictures to share! If it ever cools down, I will be able to style my work pants way cuter than I have been the last couple weeks, but I didn't have any days where I just felt like a straight up hobo either, so I guess that's a win. All of the recipes and pictures will be at the end of this post as usual!

I hope you all have a fantastic week! Pray for rain and 50 degrees! 😊

Sausage mac and cheese skillet:

http://juliasalbum.com/2015/05/mac-and-cheese-with-sausage-and-bell-peppers/

Deer stew:

http://allmygoodthings.com/2015/12/hearty-and-delicious-venison-stew/

This is a breakfast casserole my mom used to make all the time so I made it this last week for quick breakfasts. There are lots of versions online that have more specific instructions! 

Breakfast casserole:

8 slices bread

Cup of milk

8 eggs

1lb sausage

Cheese

Brown sausage, mix milk and eggs, cube bread, pour milk and eggs over cubed bread, after sausage cools, combine all ingredients with however much cheese you like in a 9x13 pan, and let sit in the fridge over night. In the morning put it in a 350 oven for 40 ish minutes. 

Fall Fun and Puppy Playtime

Hey everyone! I hope you all had a great first week of fall! I have had a sinus infection that I think Satan himself gifted to me, but this weekend I enjoyed myself and my time at home. I don't have any fashion or original recipes for you this week, but be on the lookout for fall outfits once the temperatures start to drop! I do have some links for you of recipes I made this weekend. Yesterday and today both have apparently been the days to cook like a mad woman. I have 5 soups that are now in the freezer ready to be reheated for busy fall nights. 😍 (The links for recipes are at the end of this post!)

I did all of that cooking and kept my kitchen clean, so, bonus points to Katie for doing something all other adults do all the time.

The best part of the weekend was being able to actually spend some time with our dogs. For those of you who know me well, you know that our dogs are like our kids. This last week I neglected the girls pretty bad because it seemed like something was going on all the time. I just sat outside yesterday and today for hours playing with the girls while James and Wayne hung out inside playing video games. With the weather being cooler, and Luna growing up, Tonks is the one that is hyper and playful, and Luna is mellowing out into a hound. Tonks was so happy Saturday morning to go outside in the cool air that she was doing flips and cartwheels and being extra cute. I can't wait to see what she thinks of snow!

I hope you all have a great week! I know this blog post is feeble at best, but if nothing else you get to see my cute dogs and try some new recipes if you haven't tried them before! 😊

And yes, my yoga pants are covered in dog hair. Yes, I do have on Harry Potter socks, and yes, I do wear my husbands slides outside when I don't feel like putting on real shoes.

Recipe links:

http://www.inspiredtaste.net/27956/easy-tomato-soup-recipe/

https://www.perfectionpending.net/2017/04/24/easy-30-minute-black-bean-soup/

https://www.cookingclassy.com/moroccan-sweet-potato-lentil-soup/

https://www.spendwithpennies.com/slow-cooker-french-onion-soup/

http://damndelicious.net/2015/02/18/easy-thai-shrimp-soup/

https://therecipecritic.com/2017/09/slow-cooker-creamy-chicken-tortellini-soup/

Sometimes You Have to Laugh to Keep from Crying

Hey everyone! I know I am a day late and a dollar short in posting. I'm so sorry. This has been one of those "I'd lose my head if it wasn't attached" moments, but the moment has lasted the entire month. I'm not trying to complain or get sympathy, I swear I do have good days, but the out numbering of rough ones has been staggering.

My husband and I have been dealt many trials in the last two months, last week being the icing on the cake so to speak. I had a heck of a time scheduling my certification tests, I had major issues with my bank account (that were sort of fixed thank heaven), my bunny died, I did not pass either of my certification tests, and my husbands family has been dealt more bad cards than good in a very short amount of time.

I'm not going to rant and rave about the certification tests or the family matters we have been experiencing. I've already done plenty of that to people who probably wish I would just shut my mouth. I've been trying to find the good in the piddly every day things, but I am wired like my granny, which is a very practical way to been when everything is smooth sailing, but when things go wrong I'm very much a "glass half empty" person. Bless my husband and my mom who are so NOT like that. I wish I could always see the positive in things like they can.

I do have a funny from school though that made me laugh right when I needed to. I know it's not going to be near as funny to you all as it was to me, but I cracked up. I bought a little sucker fish for my beta tank at school. One of the little girls in one of my art classes asked what kind of fish it was. I, without thinking, said it was a bottom feeder. You should have seen the look on her face. She was absolutely horrified, looked up at me with big eyes, and said, "You mean....that fish....eats people's BUTTS?!". It took every ounce of self control I had not to laugh in that little girls face. I explained to her that the fish does not actually eat bottoms, but the stuff from the bottom of the tank. I have laughed about that off and on for nearly a week and I think it has kept me going st work a few times. Kids are so much more funny than any comedian you could go see.

I did get some good cooking in last week though. I'm so ready for fall I can taste it, literally. I was doing some exploring on Pinterest for a fall flavored supper and saw bits and pieces of what I wanted to make but nothing exact. So, in typical Katie cooking fashion I just decided I'd make something up myself. I made pork chops with roasted brown sugar apples and sweet potatoes. Y'all....it was amazing.

I have also been wanting to get my eating and activity back where it belongs so I'm not a big o' squishy slug. I follow a lot of fitness and health food bloggers on Instagram, and while I am not vegan, one of my favorites is loni Jane. She writes cookbooks called Feel the Lean. She's a vegan author from Australia and her and her children are adorable. If you do the Instagram thing, her handle is lonijane if I remember right. She has been posting this stuff she calls "superfood burcha", which my husband calls bird seed, but it really is good 😉. I did not have all of the ingredients that she calls for because I honestly don't know what some of them are, so I will post what I did use, but it is very good eaten the ways she suggests for breakfasts with smoothies or milk or Greek yogurt.

I am hoping for this week to turn around,  and October to deliver us from the crap fest.. I know things will look up, but until then, if I'm crotchety and cranky, I'm sorry, it's not you, it's me. I love you all, and hope you have amazing weeks that you can tell me about so I can live vicariously through you. 😊

Recipes

Pork Chops with Apples and Sweet Potatoes:

3 sweet potatoes 

3 golden delicious apples

2 tbs brown sugar

Pinch of nutmeg

1 tbs cinnamon

Coconut oil to coat

4 thick cut pork chops

1/4 c brown sugar

Enough chili powder and paprika to make it interesting

Coconut oil to coat 

400 degrees for 40 min 

Superfoods Burcha:

Go to loni Janes feel the lean 2.0 for her recipe

1/4 c flax seed

1/2 c sesame seed

1/2 c sunflower seed

1/2 c chia seed
1/2 c shredded coconut
1/2 c chocolate chips
1/2 c pumpkin seeds
1/4 c dried mango diced
1/4 c dried pineapple diced

Mix all ingredients and eat on top of smootie bowls, soak over night in Greek yogurt or milk for a Tasty breakfast. I've been eating mine soaked in milk with some local honey for my allergies. 

Pumpkin Spice and 90 Degrees In the Shade

I would say almost everyone who knows me knows that Fall is my jam.  I ADORE Fall. The leaves, the smells, the food, the sweaters, the leggings, the boots, the air, ahhhhh....uh, unless it's 90 DEGREES IN THE SHADE IN THE MIDDLE OF SEPTEMBER. What's that all about weather man? What do we have to do in order to get some rain and normal temperatures up in Howell County? A few weeks ago, ya know, in August, its was BEAUTIFUL outside. Where  you at 70 degrees? Oh well, I guess until then I will be drinking my pumpkin spice cold,  because y'all, Caseys here in town has limited edition pumpkin spice lattes in the glass jars like the other Starbucks drinks! If you don't think I'll pay almost 3 dollars a day for a cold pumpkin drink that I could probably make myself, you're wrong.

Even though the end of last week and it looks like this week too are going to be miserably hot and dry, I do have some good news. As you recall, our beloved classroom guinea pig passed away a few weeks ago. While nothing will replace Luke, one of my nephews and I decided we could at least make the students happy with another classroom pet. We picked out the CUTEST little bunny I think I've ever seen. His name is Peter  and right now he's so small he fits in your hands. He's a white and gray lop eared bunny and he's wonderful. 

And finally, because I haven't bounced around enough in this post, I have a new recipe and an outfit to share! 

Outfit first: the beginning of last week was still a little fall-ish outside, so I wore a 3/4 sleeve red and black striped piko from Rustic Rose, black leggings from Maurice's, and black booties from Rustic Rose. The rest of the week was so miserable I was proud of myself for putting on pants. 

Now, the recipe. I was craving Chinese food last week, but I seldom make it without a pre-bottled  sauce. I did not have any pre-bottled sauce, so enter in my made up recipe for sweet and sour chicken. 

Sauce ingredients:

1/2 c ketchup

2 tbs Sriracha 

1/4 c soy sauce 

1 tbs corn starch

1/4 c honey

1/4 c sesame oil

1/2 c apple cider vinegar

1 tbs garlic

Veggies, meat, and extra: 

Bag of peas

Bag of carrots

Two bell peppers

1 yellow onion

2 chicken breasts

White rice

I mixed everything up for the sauce, sautéed my veggies, set them aside, cooked my chicken, put equal parts chicken, veggies, and rice into my pan, and put enough sauce on it to coat. The recipe for the sauce makes enough for 4 servings but since it's just Wayne and I, I only made enough chicken for two. I used my leftover veggies and rice and sauce to make beef and veggies later in the week using the same process. It was pretty delicious! 

I hope you all have a wonderful week!! Pray for rain and normal temperatures! 

  

Fashion Failures and Food Flings

Man, look at all that alliteration! I don't have a weekly fashion roundup this week, because, well, I looked like I lived under a bridge all week. I will never understand why 4 day weeks feel about 9 years long. I don't think I cooked a single night last week either, because sometimes I'm garbage. That being said, this weekend I decided that my house, especially my kitchen, desperately needed my attention.

Wayne and I were gifted a gorgeous piano recently, and the wall behind it has needed some attention for quite a while. You would think someone who creates artwork on the side would have plenty of wall decor, but when I create, I'm like a squirrel on crack and nothing goes together. In August and so far this month I have made a conscious effort to create artwork that "matches". Today while I was decorating for fall I decided to hang some of that matching artwork together and see what happened. Luckily, I was not disappointed. All of the artwork on the wall are available as prints of anyone would like one of these in their home!

While I was cleaning and decorating today, I took a break to put a culinary experiment in the crock pot. I put 1 lb of smoked turkey sausage, two bell peppers, a red onion, a can of marinara sauce, and a spoonful of garlic into the crock pot and turned it on low for 6 ish hours. I put some cheese on sub buns and popped those under a low broiler for 3 minutes, and spooned my crock pot concoction on top. It. Was. Amazing. I plan on putting the leftovers over rice tomorrow for my lunch. Here's what it looked like. I'm not professional food photographer so it probably looks like dog food on a bun to you all but I promise it's good.

I hope you all have a wonderful week! And remember, if you look like a bridge troll and eat Dairy Queen for five days straight, it's okay, it's all about balance! 😊

Weekly Fashion Roundup

Hey all! I hope everyone had a great week and three day weekend! Last week my fall allergies decided to hit about a month early and twice as hard as they usually do. Word to the wise, if you lose your voice, and you're a teacher, spare everyone your goose-like voice and just stay home. I honked through Thursday and Friday the best I could, even with the loss of our classroom pet guinea pig on Friday. Kids are so much better at grief than adults. They made Luke the guinea pig memorial cards and flowers to be buried with, and several told me "when I was ready" they would be happy to help me find a new pet for the room. I don't know where or when we lose it, but we all need to take a lesson from kiddos sometimes, especially when it comes to compassion.

With all that being said, I didn't spend very much time on my appearance last week because frankly last week just stunk all around, so I wore pretty much the same type of outfit every day. I think I've said this before, but if you don't have any PIKO brand dresses, you seriously need to invest in some. They are like the butter of clothing. I wore dresses and leggings almost all week and I felt like I had on jammies, but without all the funny looks of going into public with real jammies on. Monday I wore a navy gingham button up shirt from J.Crew Factory, burgundy skinny pants from Walmart, and navy flats I got at Shoe Sensation. Tuesday I wore a gray PIKO dress from Rustic Rose Boutique,  navy anchor leggings from Walmart, and my granny tennis shoes from Walmart. Wednesday I wore an olive PIKO and patterned leggings  and black booties all from Rustic Rose Boutique. Thursday, you guessed it, a PIKO from Rustic Rose, floral leggings from Walmart, and teal flats from Rue 21. You will sendom if ever see my Friday outfits just because Fridays are jeans and school t shirt day, and well, that's pretty much what I wear on Fridays.

 I hope you all have a wonderful 4 day week!!

Fall is in the Air!

Fall is in the air!!! Well, for at least a week or two anyway. You never know about the weather in southern Missouri. We go from biblical levels of flooding to heat rivaling the armpits of Satan himself to fog you could cut out with a knife like in the old cartoons. Ya know, just your average week in the Ozarks! This last week was absolutely GORGEOUS! To celebrate the wonderful weather, I treated myself to a new fall dress. Is you live around Howell County, you need to go to Rustic Rose Boutique. I get almost all of my clothes there! Nothing is ever over $50, and in the way of cute clothes for work you can't beat it. This dress is probably the softest article of clothing I own. I styled it in late summer with mustard leggings and gray-beige booties. Later in the fall I will probably put on some red leggings, cogniac riding boots, and a beige cardigan.

Welcome to Rural Ramblings

Hey everyone! Thanks for coming by to check out this blog! I am excited to share the fashion, food, and fun of my life as a teacher in rural Missouri. I will be posting work outfits, recipes, lots of pictures of our dogs, and other random things that happen in my life. I hope you enjoy this blog and find something that you can use yourself!