No Space Available
At this moment I’m sitting in a Starbucks on Travis AFB. I’ve been here since Sunday, trying to get on a “space available” flight to see my beloved.I’m not having any luck.I’m getting on a plane today, heading back to Florida.Six months that’s what’s left of his tour.I’ve not been on an AFB for any real amount of time since we left Las Vegas. I’d forgotten what all the uniforms were like. I mean, in the last seven years I’ve barely seen my own husband in uniform.I’m sad. Fighting tears. I have a manuscript that needs revising but I can’t seem to concentrate on it.I’m tired and a little emotional.
Summer Lovin'….Mangos
One of my favorite things about summer in South Florida is that it’s mango season. Many homes have trees in their back yard like we do, and if you happen to be one of the people who don’t, you will often times find people out in front of their homes selling their mangoes or other street vendors from local farms.This summer I’m pretty sure I’ve consumed my weight in mangoes. They are my favorite fruit and everyone knows it -so I’ve even had some of my husband’s family bring me mangoes from their trees.
Sigh. They are heavenly. They really are.
I hacked my pantry – Macaroni & Cheese Recipe
Today was one of those lazy rainy days. We hung out in comfy clothes and watched television. Around lunch time I got to thinking about what I should feed my little boys. There wasn’t much in the house as far as food because we’re going on vacation in a few days and I figured we’d eat what we had on hand.With that in mind I scoured our pantry and came up with this home made macaroni and cheese recipe that was actually pretty good. In fact my son Michael said it was “the best mac & cheese…ever!”
I had four different types of cheese on hand -but none was enough to make much of anything, so I combined them.Here is what I used to make what I’m calling my Pantry Hacked Mac & Cheese recipe. I’m pretty sure you could do the same, with things that are on hand in your pantry!
- 1 cup Half & Half
- 1 cup Milk
- 1/4 cup margarine/butter (I used margarine.)
- 2 oz (approximately-I eye-balled) hand shredded Gouda, Romano, Parmesan, Colby Jack, and Cheddar Cheese
- 3 tbs flour
- 1tbs white pepper
- 1tbs Adobo seasoning
- 1 box-16oz of elbow macaroni
- 1/4 cup crushed Garlic Parmesan Pretzel Crisps (I didn’t have croutons or even bread on hand to make croutons, so I figured I’d give these a try.) they worked out really well, the flavor meshed perfectly and the crunch was a fun surprise!
To prepare:Preheat oven to 375 degrees.Cook the pasta until it’s “al dente”.While the pasta is cooking, in a separate saucepan melt the butter/margarine. Slowly whisk in the flour to make a roux. Once the roux is nice and pasty, slowly whisk in the milk/half and half mixture. Add in the pepper and Adobo seasoning. When the milk mixture begins to simmer, slowly stir in the cheese. Continue to stir until the mixture thickens. By this time your pasta should be ready to come out of the pot. Drain the pasta then return it to the pot and stir in the cheese mixture.Combine the two then transfer to a casserole dish.Sprinkle the crushed pretzel mixture on top of the macaroni and bake for 15 minutes.Buen Provecho!xo,nicole
I hacked my pantry – Macaroni & Cheese Recipe
Today was one of those lazy rainy days. We hung out in comfy clothes and watched television. Around lunch time I got to thinking about what I should feed my little boys. There wasn’t much in the house as far as food because we’re going on vacation in a few days and I figured we’d eat what we had on hand.With that in mind I scoured our pantry and came up with this home made macaroni and cheese recipe that was actually pretty good. In fact my son Michael said it was “the best mac & cheese…ever!”I had four different types of cheese on hand -but none was enough to make much of anything, so I combined them.Here is what I used to make what I’m calling my Pantry Hacked Mac & Cheese recipe. I’m pretty sure you could do the same, with things that are on hand in your pantry!
- 1 cup Half & Half
- 1 cup Milk
- 1/4 cup margarine/butter (I used margarine.)
- 2 oz (approximately-I eye-balled) hand shredded Gouda, Romano, Parmesan, Colby Jack, and Cheddar Cheese
- 3 tbs flour
- 1tbs white pepper
- 1tbs Adobo seasoning
- 1 box-16oz of elbow macaroni
- 1/4 cup crushed Garlic Parmesan Pretzel Crisps (I didn’t have croutons or even bread on hand to make croutons, so I figured I’d give these a try.) they worked out really well, the flavor meshed perfectly and the crunch was a fun surprise!
To prepare:Preheat oven to 375 degrees.Cook the pasta until it’s “al dente”.While the pasta is cooking, in a separate saucepan melt the butter/margarine. Slowly whisk in the flour to make a roux. Once the roux is nice and pasty, slowly whisk in the milk/half and half mixture. Add in the pepper and Adobo seasoning. When the milk mixture begins to simmer, slowly stir in the cheese. Continue to stir until the mixture thickens. By this time your pasta should be ready to come out of the pot. Drain the pasta then return it to the pot and stir in the cheese mixture.Combine the two then transfer to a casserole dish.Sprinkle the crushed pretzel mixture on top of the macaroni and bake for 15 minutes.Buen Provecho!xo,nicole
My Little Writing Nook
Last week I shared my news about finishing the first draft of my novel. Since I spend so much time, looking at the same view, I thought I’d share my workspace.
DIY Laptop Cover
One of my favorite crafty activities to is cover something in paper and glue-otherwise known as découpage. This DIY laptop cover was super easy to create and it's all about the découpage!
de·cou·page - the art or technique of decorating something with cut-outs of paper, linoleum, plastic,or other flat material over which varnish or lacquer is applied.I’ve been searching for a cover for my laptop for well over a year, but couldn’t find anything I liked at the price I wanted to pay. A few weeks ago while browsing in Best Buy I came across a clear cover I liked. It was $50 which was still more than I wanted to pay, so it stayed in the store and I went on my way.That cover stayed in the back of my mind, until one day a few weeks ago I was at a Starbucks and I saw a woman with the same case in pink. Seeing it in action I got an idea for a craft project.I came home and searched Amazon and came across this clear case and instantly I knew, if I couldn’t find a case I liked, I’d make one! The best part, it was only $20.When it arrived I was momentarily disappointed because though the description said “crystal clear” it wasn’t. It was sort of foggy, I thought I’d have to return it, but a quick check proved that it would be suitable for my idea and I went about gathering the items I would need to craft a personalized lap top cover for my Mac.Supplies:
- Lap top cover. I used this one from iPearl.
- Mod Podge I like the matte version.
- scissors
- flat paint brush – a good size for this is about 1 inch.
- Paper, photos, post cards, what-ever you fancy, so long as it’s paper.
Then be sure to seal the outer layers -the ones on the inside of the cover with more Mod Podge.I suppose one could use any lap top cover they chose, if they decoupaged on the out-side, but for this project I wanted all of the crafting done from the inside.If you’ve never decoupaged before check out this tutorial. Here is a tutorial specifically for reverse collage -which is essentially what this project is. It’s also a good idea to practice on something first, to make sure you’ve gotten a feel for the technique, before you begin work on your cover. The good thing about this -if you’re not 100% satisfied with the end result, or you eventually get bored, you can soak your cover in a bit of acetone.
In case you’re wondering what/why I chose the things I did. I’ll tell you.Comic book strip -For it’s melodrama and color. There are three references to my favorite book, Pride & Prejudice. Swans are probably my favorite bird, and it’s got some meaning to my first novel. Rhett Butler & Scarlet O’hara, because these two characters, are probably among the best ever written. That little mirror graphic with “Yes you’re the fairest of them all.” I love Snow White, and I think it’s a good thing to look in a mirror and like the person you see. A snowy owl, I also love owls-but the vintage kitschy home decorating type. This one is to pay Homage to J.K. Rowling. Unicorns to remind me of magic. Freckles…because I’ve got them. “Corner of awesome…” -because I am. “Tell you’re story” and “you’re a writer”-just because. Finally, my husband and I-because he is my very own, story book, Prince Charming, come to life, romantic novel, drives me crazy, love at first sight, leading man.
DIY Laptop Cover - Personalized Deoupage
One of my favorite crafty activities to is cover something in paper and glue-otherwise known as découpage. This DIY laptop cover was super easy to create and it's all about the découpage!
de·cou·page - the art or technique of decorating something with cut-outs of paper, linoleum, plastic,or other flat material over which varnish or lacquer is applied.I’ve been searching for a cover for my laptop for well over a year, but couldn’t find anything I liked at the price I wanted to pay. A few weeks ago while browsing in Best Buy I came across a clear cover I liked. It was $50 which was still more than I wanted to pay, so it stayed in the store and I went on my way.That cover stayed in the back of my mind, until one day a few weeks ago I was at a Starbucks and I saw a woman with the same case in pink. Seeing it in action I got an idea for a craft project.I came home and searched Amazon and came across this clear case and instantly I knew, if I couldn’t find a case I liked, I’d make one! The best part, it was only $20.When it arrived I was momentarily disappointed because though the description said “crystal clear” it wasn’t. It was sort of foggy, I thought I’d have to return it, but a quick check proved that it would be suitable for my idea and I went about gathering the items I would need to craft a personalized lap top cover for my Mac.Supplies:
- Lap top cover. I used this one from iPearl.
- Mod Podge I like the matte version.
- craft scissors I use these by Martha Stewart
- flat paint brush – a good size for this is about 1 inch.
- Paper, photos, post cards, what-ever you fancy, so long as it’s paper.
- A printer if you'll be printing the images you use.
Then be sure to seal the outer layers -the ones on the inside of the cover with more Mod Podge.I suppose one could use any lap top cover they chose, if they decoupaged on the out-side, but for this project I wanted all of the crafting done from the inside.If you’ve never decoupaged before check out this tutorial. Here is a tutorial specifically for reverse collage -which is essentially what this project is. It’s also a good idea to practice on something first, to make sure you’ve gotten a feel for the technique, before you begin work on your cover. The good thing about this -if you’re not 100% satisfied with the end result, or you eventually get bored, you can soak your cover in a bit of acetone.
These are the products I recommend for this project: In case you’re wondering what/why I chose the things I did. I’ll tell you.Comic book strip -For it’s melodrama and color. There are three references to my favorite book, Pride & Prejudice. Swans are probably my favorite bird, and it’s got some meaning to my first novel. Rhett Butler & Scarlet O’hara, because these two characters, are probably among the best ever written. That little mirror graphic with “Yes you’re the fairest of them all.” I love Snow White, and I think it’s a good thing to look in a mirror and like the person you see. A snowy owl, I also love owls-but the vintage kitschy home decorating type. This one is to pay Homage to J.K. Rowling. Unicorns to remind me of magic. Freckles…because I’ve got them. “Corner of awesome…” -because I am. “Tell you’re story” and “you’re a writer”-just because. Finally, my husband and I-because he is my very own, story book, Prince Charming, come to life, romantic novel, drives me crazy, love at first sight, leading man.